![Sean Vosler - 7 Figure Marketing [PDF]](https://pdfs.asia/img/200x200/sean-vosler-7-figure-marketing.jpg)
7 0 44 MB
Ethical Persuasion Strategies For Branding, Marketing, and Copywriting
7 Figure Marketing Copy www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
Tried, Tested, & Proven [- maniacally powerful -] Methods You Can Use to Quickly Craft [-interesting, engaging, and profitable-] Marketing Copy
Written By Sean Vosler
v4.0
Feb. 2020
7FigureMarketingCopy.com Specifically Designed For…
“Sean’s personally helped generate over $40m+ in Revenue for himself & clients utilizing methods outlined in this guide.” A SMART LEVERAGE GUIDEBOOK
✓ Entrepreneurs ✓ Online Product Marketers ✓ Marketing Agencies ✓ eCommerce Sellers ✓ Email Marketers ✓ Content Marketing
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
This Copy of 7 Figure Marketing Copy Has Been Licensed Exclusively To…
And is not intended for distribution. Please report unauthorized distribution to [email protected] for a financial reward.
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
Learn what makes your readers heart sing and compose them a beautiful melody.
7FigureMarketingCopy.com
the.
methods. section one
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
METHOD ONE The Imitation Game
Learn How to Quickly Craft Engaging Copy by Harnessing the Structure of Trending Content
METHOD TWO Amazon R&D
Leverage the Power of The Powerful Yet “Overlooked” Part of Best Selling Books
METHOD THREE COGNITIVE MANIPULATION Controversial Yet Impossible to Ignore: How To Ethically Harness The Built In Bias’ of Your Reader to Increase Sales
SECTON ONE: THE METHODS
5
METHOD FOUR Community Arbitrage
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
Harness The Power of Community to Create Lists of Benefits That Your Leads Actually Care About
METHOD FIVE Tried & True Formulas
Tried & True Easy to Use Copywriting Formulas… That You Can… Copy… heh.
METHOD SIX Counterintuitive Copy Structure “This structure alone has generated millions of dollars in profits for myself and my clients.” - Sean Vosler
METHOD SEVEN Teach, Transform, Transact Teach a Man to Fish & You Can Sell Him Fishing Gear 6 SECTON ONE: THE METHODS
METHOD EIGHT www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com THE HERO’S JOURNEY You Are Not The Hero… Your Audience Is. Harness Your Audiences Journey to Create Novel Marketing Material
METHOD NINE MARKETING ARCHETYPES You might be an expert in your field, but what kind of expert are you?
METHOD TEN DATA WITH A SOUL Balancing the Pathos, Legos, and Ethos For Maximum Impact
METHOD ELEVEN The Diamond of Persuasion Make Them Cry. Make Them Buy. 5 Power Packed Persuasion Strategies 7 SECTON ONE: THE METHODS
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
the.
madness. section two
madness one Sell Revelation / Deliver Gospel How to deliver actionable value inside every part of your marketing campaigns.
madness two From A Mountain of Stone to a Golden Ring Research Methodologies For Drafting Marketing Copy & Cornerstone Content
madness three Crafting The Golden Ring The Act of Writing
SECTON TWO:8THE MADNESS
forward From Sean Vosler www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
I Need Something From YOU an admission…
Admit to yourself that the words of impact are already within you, the message you need to share is ready to surface. All that is missing are the right tools (methods) and strategies that I’ll be sharing in this guide. I’ve spent most of my adult life meticulously collecting these methods, perfecting them with testing and guidance. They’ve served me well, and I know my largest chances of positive impact lies in sharing them with the world; with you.
That’s why I compiled this guide and that’s why I know it will help you succeed.
“Genius is the ability to put into effect what is on your mind.” - F. Scott Fitzgerald
9
forward From Sean Vosler www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
There’s no right or wrong way to learn, but there is a right and wrong way to teach. The human brain has to be one of the most bizarre things in the universe. Why it works the way it does we may never fully grasp scientifically, yet curiously enough we humans intuitively understand much of the mind's methods and madness. “Common sense” you might call it. It’s our built-in ability to feel someone's pain, even if we’ve never experienced it, it’s our desire to feel connected to others; our natural distrust of the unknown, among thousands of other intuitive connections. These common wisdoms, or universal experiences, are accessible by all cultures and backgrounds, they seem to be at the core of what makes us human. Copywriting as a skill lives in that weird place between the everyday “common sense” realm that we all “get”, and the dogmatic scientific world that tries to put everything in neat little boxes. Science and testing may point us to write, persuade, or connect in one way, where our gut might point us in another. The best copywriters know when to listen to which voice, and this book is designed to help build your instincts around which voice you should listen to, and in The mediocre teacher tells. which circumstance. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. In putting this guide together its ebbed and flowed between The great teacher inspires. being a reference work, a collection of copywriting ― William Arthur Ward “shortcuts”, and a personal ego fueled exposé of what I think makes persuasion work. Perhaps it’s a bit of all three. In what feels like the 7th version of the guide, I want to present a new voice to help guide you through the different sections. This “voice” is something of a narrator to help guide you the information, taking it from a collection of good ideas and strategies to a more cohesive step by step approach to this thing we call copywriting. In the world of film, they have a saying: “show, don’t tell”, which is a rule I’m breaking here. Ideally, you’d just experience the “guide” I mentioned above and be none the wiser. Yet I’m “telling” you about it because it’s a valuable lesson in itself, one that I had to learn the hard way. The lesson? Not everyone learns the same way. “Duh” is probably your default response, but for me, it was a hardearned realization; one that’s important for us as writers to understand.
10
forward From Sean Vosler www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
The first job of a copywriter is to understand. Perhaps you are like me and learn by dumping a bunch of information on the table, moving it around in different positions, stepping away from the puzzle, then coming back with a fresh set of eyes to try and piece more of it together. But most people aren’t. And that’s ok. Most people prefer a mapped out step by step list. I dislike lists. Something inside me enjoys making things more complex than they need to be, to try and make everything a puzzle that needs to be solved. There are pros and cons to both ways of learning. One thing I am sure of though… we don’t want to assume that everyone learns just like us. Funny enough, I found myself getting peeved at people for “not getting it” when they read certain parts of my book. I gravitated towards positive feedback from people who, looking back I realize, were a lot like myself. They like the puzzle, and they could make sense of the way I arranged my content. Neither way is exactly right or wrong, but I did realize if I want this book to do its job and help as many people as possible I need to implement more guidance to the “puzzle”. As I’ll discuss later in the book the act of “guidance” is especially powerful in the world of copywriting.
11
forward From Sean Vosler www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
We as writers are the guides who help lead the audience to the promised land… to reach their end goal. To help Frodo get the ring to Mordor. To help Luke harness the power of The Force. To guide the Avengers on their quest to find the Infinity stones. Indeed our first job as ‘persuasion artists’ (fancy name for Copywriters) is to be a leader, a mentor, and indeed a guide. Our audience, the person we want to “sell” something to, needs to be much more than just a target. They need to be our hero. The person we’re rooting for to succeed. Who’s trials and pitfalls hurt us when we see them stumble. Indeed they must become our greatest hope, and we - their greatest ally. They are on a journey… and with any journey, there is a mess of good and evil that will show up at unexpected times. The better we get at teaching our hero how to overcome the evil and better identify the good, the better we as guides will be at reaching our end goal. That goal? To give our hero what they desire… even (and especially) if they don’t know what that is yet. As for the title of this guide - “7 Figure Marketing Copy”... YOU are my hero, and what do I want to give you as your guide? I want to give you all the tools and strategies I can to help you write copy that can potentially generate millions in sales. Even if your end game isn’t millions, the skills of a good copywriter (persuasion artist) are very similar to the skills shared by the best entrepreneurs, influencers, and leaders in any field. The skills will help shine a light on what makes the human mind tick.
12
forward From Sean Vosler www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
How the sections of this guide are broken down. Methods - These are designed to help you learn & practice the foundational rules behind persuasive copy; indeed you can’t break the rules (the fun part of copywriting) till you understand them. Each lesson will have a “learning objective” and a set of information that will help us grow in our understanding. Examples - Weaved into the lessons will be examples of how the technique is used within different types of marketing, giving you specific use cases that both help illustrate the point and give you a reference to refer to with your own projects. Exercises - As with any skill you must practice to get better. The exercises in this guide are designed to help you experience the different processes you will go through as you craft your copy. On their own, each exercise may not feel like it entirely fits into the big picture, but combined they represent all the pieces you need to write exceptional copy. As we weave in and out of lessons and exercises I need you to be sure to take a step back and look at the big picture of what we’re looking to accomplish. As mentioned, it’s not just about learning how to write persuasively, it’s about unlocking our ability to help our audience - to bring them out of the darkness and into the light. To fight for them, to push them, to pull them, to help them become the best version they can be; all in relation to the product or service we’re persuading them to purchase.
Before we dive into the first set of lessons and exercises let’s examine why copywriting is so important and why it deserves our time and attention to learn it.
13
the guide…
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
Live a life that lends itself to not needing an introduction.
You have an amazing product/service, or an idea for one. Or maybe you fall into the category of the service provider, and your job is to craft copy for your clients. You may be seeing a measurable level of success! Kudos to you if that’s the case. Regardless of where you are, there’s always room to improve. The techniques mapped out in this guide have helped me and many others to create six and seven figure marketing campaigns; I’m so thrilled you’ve invested in yourself by picking up a copy. This guide is designed for individuals familiar with marketing fundamentals, however, anyone who has a desire to make an impact with their words will benefit. To get the most out of this guide view it less as a step by step manual and more as a flexible framework. One to pull up when you’re starting to create an ad, an email, a video, sales page, or really any piece of marketing that needs to catch someone’s attention. We’ll be exploring many different perspectives on writing effective marketing, from the practical formulas of advertising greats to the mythical foundations of universal human stories… It’s all designed to saturate your writing world with what matters. I’ve broken it out into four sections, the first is an overview of several tactical approaches to writing copy, the second a more overall strategic approach to compiling different pieces of copy. The third is a walkthrough of the mechanics of how different copy pieces work together, and lastly you’ll find a section focused on helping you capture your vision; the fleeting foundation of what drives you as an entrepreneur.
14
At first I was afraid… You could say, I was petrified. That I couldn’t write copy without a proper guide. I spent so many nights, writing things I knew were wrong. But I grew strong. I had known how to write all along…
syntax a word on…
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com a quick clarification
before we dive in
Marketing, Copywriting, Communication, Sales… In this guide I’ll sometimes interchange the term “marketing” and “copywriting”, though both are quite different in strict terminology, their goals are heavily intertwined. The end goal of both is more sales for you and we will benefit by not getting to get too tangled up in semantics. You may find that I refer to your “reader”, your “audience”, your “target”; all of which are similarly interchangeable. Marketing means a lot of things to different people, and copywriting itself is a term that’s been often replaced by “communication pieces”, “audience conversation” or other sensual nonsense. Again our concern is their end goals, and the definitions can morph over time. To the new business owner ‘marketing’ may be seen as an important but often sidelined part of their business. To the experienced business owners and entrepreneurs ‘marketing’ is understood as the lifeblood of the business. It’s the tools brings in qualified leads and turns those leads into happy customers… and a business without customers isn’t a business it’s a hobby. I like to think of marketing and copywriting as an influential sales person in my, and my clients, business. As such we need to give it the best tools we can, as you would with an eating and breathing sales person.
BRANDING
MARKETING
In short…
YOUR OFFER YOUR MESSAGE
COPYWRITING
SALES
It’s about building a connection between your reader, your brand, and what you're selling. One that is built on trust; trust that is developed by posing an (1.) argument, (2.) proving it correct, and then (3.) delivering on the promised result your product or service was designed to fulfill.
Why Copy Is King www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com The #1 Entrepreneurial Skill
preface Let’s see why quality marketing copy is often the missing key to converting any business idea from fiction to reality… 16
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
the first sale. The first sale is a crucial vote of confidence your audience gives you with their bank account. If you're facing this obstacle chances are you're most likely lacking in this skill ... It's the one skill that drives almost every dollar made online and off. ... It's the one skill that can transform a run-of-the-mill business into a wealth generating machine. ... It's also the one skill that many veteran entrepreneurs would confess is the toughest to master. I never blame anyone for struggling with it. It's not a skill that is taught in school or often prioritized in college.
Confession time and this is a confession you won’t often hear from an online marketer… 17
Confession… Even though this skill generates the most money in my business, in reality, I'm not a www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com "professional" at it in the traditional sense. I learned this skill out of necessity, not out of desire. One of my biggest regrets is not learning it sooner.
Most people think it's skills like … • Networking • Advertising • Social Media • Money management • Branding • Leadership … are the most important entrepreneurial skills. While these are important skills in their own way, they're relatively easy to outsource or master. ✍ So what is this ‘always in demand’ profit skill? The one almost all successful business owners will admit is (at least in part) responsible for their success?
copywriting. 18
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
Specifically, sales copywriting... Copywriting is the act of writing text for the purpose of advertising or other forms of marketing. The product, called copy, is written content that aims to increase brand awareness and ultimately persuade a person or group to take a particular action. But copywriting is so much more than the academic definition.
I'll add to that... Copywriting is the most profitable skill I’ve ever learned. Every serious entrepreneur ought to understand its principles if they want to reach their most audacious goals. 19
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
Yet, copywriting seems to be the one business skill that's riddled with… well, riddles. This guide is designed to teach you how to solve the copywriting riddle, and take the headache, and heartache, out of writing marketing copy. I'll also hand you a copywriting method I've developed that's saved me countless hours, and I know will help you write killer content about your product or service. Quick clarification before we continue. I’m not a professional copywriter. That’s good news! Because you don't have to be one either… You read that right, copywriting is a skill I use; but it doesn't make me a copywriter. I guess you could say I run a marketing agency, but I usually tell folks who ask that I'm an investor. Not in a "financial investor" kinda way, I mean I've adopted their MINDSET around making business decisions. I also often create equity deals with my clients, but that’s another guide for another day. You see, what I invest in are the skills that make myself and my clients the highest return on the time I spend learning them. … I’ve learned how to build highly complex marketing funnels that have generated well over $40,000,000 in profits. … I’ve learned how to create and edit high-quality videos. (I even have my own studio) … I’ve learned how to design and structure great sales pages (graphics, and the tech - yes I built the page you’re on now.) … I’ve learned how to set up incredibly intricate auto webinar systems, with dynamic follow up email and advertising sequences. With one webinar having over 1M Views & 8 figures in sales.
here’s the point… www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
NONE OF THOSE SKILLS, and I really mean NONE OF THEM, can shake a stick at compare with the staggeringly profitable results copywriting skills can generated. For many of my clients I’ve become the most profitable "division" of their business mainly because I'm better able to leverage their audiences with my copy strategies than they can. Which brings them a healthy return on their “investment” in me.
You can be a great funnel developer, video producer, freelancer, graphic designer, “ecommerce-marketer”, or agency owner... But, if you can’t persuade people to actually buy your stuff (or your client's stuff)... well... you’re screwed.
21
21
in fact…
22
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
All major product failures I've seen over the years had less to do with the product, and more to do with their producers inability to communicate its value.
Quality copy is almost always LACKING substance. Especially early on in the products life cycle. So, what’s the key to solving the copywriting riddle? If you dread copywriting as much as most do you must learn how to leverage copywriting methods to help you craft it QUICKLY and EFFECTIVELY. This will also afford you the needed practice to master the skill itself over time! I'm not just talking about "fill in the blank" templates, though they can be useful, I'm referring to methods of deconstructing marketing that's already working and apply the strategy to your own marketing assets... along with taking strategies used for hundreds of years and systematize them into your business. In short... If you learn how to follow and create copywriting methods & frameworks you won't always have to rely on "guessing" if your marketing will work. Mastery of copy will also afford you more time and money to focus on improving your product and delivery.
Let’s get started by exploring copy methods…
copywriting www.getwsodo.com
METHODS www.getwsodo.com
We start by examining the tools. Practicing the movements. Perfecting our methods…
methods preface
Why www.getwsodo.com Methods First… www.getwsodo.com why practicing fundamental actions before learning all the nuanced principles within a subject is the most effective way to learn What’s the best way to learn? This deceptively simple
need a clear understanding of how the different pieces of the
question haunted me while putting together this book. Is it
car work, along with a broad understanding of ‘why’ you
better to just ‘tell’ you how to improve your copy, perhaps
need to follow certain rules and when. But you don’t need to
through detailed explanations of the data behind
understand how the car mechanically works unless you plan on
persuasion? Or is it best to ‘show’ you examples of copy that
being a mechanic.
works and copy that doesn’t? Or, perhaps, it’s best to just explain how I do it personally. Point is, there’s a lot of different ways to learn, and just as many different ways to teach… and there are pros and cons to all of them. I’ve slowly collected stacks and stacks of books on the subject of learning & teaching, because, well, understanding “how to teach” is incredibly valuable. If I can effectively hand you the tools to write better copy, I’ve accomplished the mission of this book. To do that I need to best understand how to best share them with you! Learning how to do this effectively has driven many revisions of the structure of this guide, and completely changed how I look at both the learning and teaching process in general (I definitely underestimated how difficult a job my teachers had.). Not to spoil the surprise but here’s what it all boils down to... most everyone learns better through action vs. just taking in information. Active learning goes beyond just memorization or comprehension of information, it gives you the needed experience to transform that information into practical strategies. Put more tastily, making a cake is the best way to learn how to make a cake… book knowledge of the recipe will only get you so far.
A “working knowledge” of how to drive will get you from point A to point B, however, there is a deeper level of knowledge that sparked the second part of this book - a whole half that I at first did not consider adding because, well, action is the key to learning… right? Mostly right. The most important take away from this book isn’t just how to write better copy; though that is what it will give you if all you do is examine the “methods”. The bigger goal is to give you access to the deeper principles behind what makes great copy fundamentally work. By doing so you won’t create soul from a place of wrote memory, but from the genius that’s created by complete immersion into a subject. I’ve designed the three sections after ‘the methods’ to give you just that. The methods are designed with specific steps and techniques to get you “on the road” as fast as possible. Follow these steps and do the exercises, even if you’re not actively working on a specific piece of marketing. These early “wins” will help you stay motivated on your journey to learn and create copy that sells. Once we get you driving, which can happen rather quickly, you can reference these methods regularly as you create, then we’ll move onto the ‘mechanics’ of copywriting, the arts of persuasion… and last but not least
The process is straight forward: 1. Follow a set of step by step
I will share with you how to take these skills even further
instructions, 2. Create something, 3. Review what you’ve
into the world of product development and refinement; a
created by referencing it against examples and ideally get
holistic approach to creating value in both your marketing
feedback on what you’ve created*.
and what you’re selling.
This is why I’m starting the book with the ‘action’ learning
Action first! Let’s get to it…
parts first instead of a blanket break down of the different parts of copywriting, or it’s history, or my story. The introduction you just made your way through was designed to inform you about WHY copywriting is so important; what it means to you personally, and the following “Methods” are designed to show you HOW to do the actions of writing copy.
“We have to continually be jumping off cliffs and developing our wings on the way down.”
The WHY & HOW of any subject is just about as deep as most people need to go to apply a skill. To learn how to drive you
24
* For active feedback on your work don’t hesitate to post it for review24 in the members area or our Facebook group!
- Kurt Vonnegut
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
method
The Imitation Game
part 1 - the headline
Quickly Craft Engaging Copy by Harnessing the Structure of Trending Content 25
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com Becoming a Collector of Inspiration As I mentioned early in the introduction, I’m not a professional copywriter by trade. This is good news for you as it shows that really anyone can create effective copy that gets results. But where do we start, and how can we cut down on the time it takes to learn?
“…great poets imitate and improve, whereas small ones steal and spoil.” - W. H. Davenport Adams
Imitation & Adapting Vs. Creating From Scratch Copywriting, like most creative exercises, has been around for generations. In time and with experience you will hone your ability to create copy from scratch, but at the start (and many times when we lack inspiration) we’ll want to turn to the power of imitation. Some might call imitation “an easy way out”, and in a way it is, but more importantly it's building upon what’s already working. Innovation can only happen after you’ve established a creative piece to work with. We may start with a headline (or hook) that imitates, but from there we can adjust it to fit the mood, audience, and subject we’re writing about.
structure The goal is to create a form for our copy FIRST than Fill In The _______. 26
www.getwsodo.com “Imagination www.getwsodo.com is the source of
every form of human achievement. And it's the one thing that I believe we are systematically jeopardizing in market to the way we educate our audience children and ourselves.” Sean Vosler ― Sir Ken Robinson I want to double down on an opinion; imitation is not copying when done correctly & in good faith. There appears to be a fine grey line between the two, and where you draw it separates plagiarism from potential genius. The logical progression in developing any skill, copywriting & marketing included, goes like this: First, learning the basics & terminology, Second; imitation of others in style and form, perfecting the basics and exploration of the advance; then and only then does one have the tools they need for “spontaneous” production. No matter what field someone is in they are constantly building upon the work & discoveries of others. Scientist don’t start from scratch when they design an experiment, artists (arguably) don’t spontaneously manifest art; they pull from years of practice and emulation of others. Same too in literature and film, with too many examples to site just one. So, if you find yourself cringing at the word “imitation” remember, it’s about learning as much as it is about doing. Rome wasn’t built in a day, neither will our writing & persuasion skills be perfected quickly. You can’t have innovation without a touch of imitation and a dash of imagination.
forming headlines exercise
www.getwsodo.com start with what’s www.getwsodo.com working
Step #1
Write A Brief
Take out a piece of paper, at the top write a brief description of what you want your reader to gain from reading your piece, and what they should be inspired to do by the end.
Example: My objective for this email is for the reader to be inspired to register for a webinar that’s selling my course on XYZ, I want them to see the pitfalls that befall those who don’t take XYZ action.
TIP: Many sites will let you sort by trending topics or articles.
Step #2
Research
Visit popular aggregation websites like digg.com, reddit.com, news.google.com, medium.com, buzzfeed.com, cracked.com
hat T s e dlin a e tion H n r e o t F t rA Dig u o Y ure Capt
28
forming headlines exercise
www.getwsodo.com start with what’s www.getwsodo.com working
Step #2 Research
continued… Here are a few examples from the sites mentioned. Focus less on what’s being said, and more on how it’s structured.
Examples of Headlines From “Trending” Sites…
Focus less on what’s being said, and more on how it’s structured.
structure The goal is to create a form for our copy FIRST than Fill In The _______. 29
forming headlines exercise
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com analyze & formulate
Step #3
EXAMPLE
Formulate
Next we want to rewrite the headlines of trending topics imitating the style of the headlines but use your subject matter. I’ve found actually writing them out in the style we’re imitating without a subject can help as well.
What it says: “The Man Who Perfected The Laugh Track” Structure we can imitate:
“The [noun] Who Perfected The [topic]” 30
forming headlines exercise
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com analyze & formulate
Step #4 Develop
If you’re new to this it can be helpful to spend a few moments analyzing “why” the headline works. Is it stoking curiosity? Is it confirming a belief? Is it opening a loop in our readers mind? What is it that captured our attention in the first place?
What it says: “The Man Who Perfected The Laugh Track”
“The [noun] Who Perfected The [topic]”
Q.
What captured our attention in the first place?
“The [noun] that perfected the [topic].” Works on a few different levels. First it’s a strong statement to say something was perfected, most of us would be interested in learning how it was perfected; especially if it’s in our field of expertise. We may be skeptical but interested enough to see if the writer can justify the claim. The action the headline is inspiring is to investigate a big claim. If the rest of our copy persuades the reader that we’re correct, then our headline did it’s job! 31
forming headlines exercise
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com analyze & formulate
Step #5
Next we want to adapt the structure around our own topic. For this example we will use an audience of real-estate agents, and a product about short selling properties… specifically we’ll be leading them to a case study where our agent increased sales 4x.
What it says: “The Man Who Perfected The Laugh Track”
“The [noun] Who Perfected The [topic]” “The [Real Estate Agent] Who Perfected The [Short Sale]”
The ‘noun’ becomes our target audience, our ‘topic’ reflects our product we’ll be introducing to that audience. 32
forming headlines exercise
www.getwsodo.com expanding to “feedwww.getwsodo.com the need”
Step #6 Expand
Now we can expand upon the topic, adding a bit more spice and BENEFIT to the topic. It’s important here to think about our reader, what’s in it for them (benefit) if they continue on reading our material?
Structure
What it says: “The Man Who Perfected The Laugh Track”
“The [noun] Who Perfected The [topic]”
Expand
“The [Real Estate Agent] Who Perfected The [Short Sale]” “Meet The [Real Estate Agent] Who Perfected The [Short Sale], and Learn How it 4x’d His Agency’s Profits in 6 Months” What’s in it for them if they continue on reading our material?
Modifier = End Result + Time Frame 33
forming headlines exercise
www.getwsodo.com expanding to “feedwww.getwsodo.com the need”
more examples… “Meet The [Real Estate Agent] Who Perfected The [Short Sale], and Learn How it 4x’d His Agency’s Profits in 6 Months.” Modifier = End Result + Time Frame
“The (Astonishingly Simple) Reason [Real Estate Agents] Often Ignore [Short Sales], and How Many Miss Out On 400% Higher Profits.” Modifier = Fear of Loss
“New Scientific Approach is Teaching [Real Estate Agents] How to Unlock The Secret Power of [Short Sales]… Without Cannibalizing Their Core Real Estate Offers .” Modifier = Fear of Change
“Real Estates Bleak Outlook In Three Charts and Why Short Sales Just Might Be The Simple Solution Agents Need.” Modifier = Fear of Unknown + Hope 34
Headline Starterwww.getwsodo.com Inspiration www.getwsodo.com “This is the closest we’ll ever get to…”
“Avoiding The Many Pitfalls of…”
“An Elegant Demonstration Of…”
“(testimonial) Free’s Himself From…”
“Understanding My Obsession With…” “The Unique Way XYZ Treats ZYX”
“Allow Me to Re-Introduce…”
“America’s Obsession With XYZ - But…”
“The Mysterious Life & Death of XYZ”
“XYZ Is A Relatively New Problem”
Example Headline Benefit Modifiers “… and How XYZ Saved More Time & Money By Making This Small Change.” “… and Why Now More Than Every XYZ is Becoming More Common Place.” “… and What You Can Do To Change XYZ So You Can Enjoy More Freedom.” “… and What They Did to Increase Profits At The Same Time.” “… and Why You’re Missing Out on XYZ if You’re Not Embracing The Change.”
Attention Grabbing Headline = “Audience Identifier” + “Hook” + “Benefit”
35
In Short…
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
The first thing they read is the headline, you have about the length of a hug to grab their attention. Make sure your headline accomplishes at least one of the following…
CAPTURE ATTENTION
INSPIRE THOUGHT
CONFIRM SUSPICION
CREATE INTRIGUE
PROMISE POWERFULLY
QUESTION REALITY
While also… Inspiring the reader to explore the rest of your content.
never forget Your readers are lost in a sea of misinformation, often confused and unhappy. Guide them confidently with your copy and they will become a customer for life.
36
Practically Speaking www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
How to Transition From Our Headline to Our “Conversation” "On the average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy. When you have written your headline, you have spent eighty cents out of your dollar.” - David Ogilvy Advertising tycoon, founder of Ogilvy & Mather, and known as the father of advertising.
In this method we focused mainly on “how to generate an engaging headline”, but what can we do with this headline? Even if it seem obvious, but let’s take a closer look at different ways to apply this method. The·sis - /ˈTHēsis/ a statement or theory that is put forward as a premise to be maintained or proved. Our headline/thesis is the point we’re going to be discussing in the rest of our copy. The structure of what follows the headline is really going to depend on our medium. A blog post is going to be structured differently than an email, and a sales page is going to differ from an advertisement. However there are going to be elements that are shared between all of them. Let’s take a look at how we can build on our thesis with the goal of maximizing our persuasiveness. Structure of most persuasive content… INTRODUCTION TO THE IDEA - Build upon your headline/thesis, focus on where the outcome (often called the promise land) will take the reader. Answer the “I know you’re probably thinking…” questions your reader may have. Build credibility with facts, figures, and quotes from reputable sources. Keep it interesting… Keep an archive of articles, screenshots of chapter introductions, collections of quotes, things that capture your attention. If you’re not sure if your introduction is interesting enough, post a part of it to your social media channel of choice. Did it generate much engagement? If not, you may want to revamp. You can look at ways to make it more shocking, something your reader didn't expect; be more revealing, share something that most people would keep to themselves; be controversial, shake the pot a bit and call out a popular perspective as wrong. Still not sure where to start? Here's an "introduction cheat-code": You can start your intro with “Even if…” to go right for the jugular objection. Headline leads to ~> Intro: “Even if you’ve found that XYZ hasn’t worked for you in the past, let me show you how a simple change in perspective can make all the difference. Addressing a common objection at the beginning can both entice the critic to keep reading, and reassure the believer that progress can be made… if they simply keep reading.
37
Continued…
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
"The jugular objection" - the single most common objection to your point. The one, that if not addressed, will lose the most people in your target audience. Your first step in writing anything should be to identify and crush this objection. Go for the jugular and you have a solid chance of winning over even the strongest critic. Illusory superiority, the above-average effect, the superiority bias, the leniency error, and the primus interpares effect all are meant to define the same thing – most people think they are better (or unquestionably different) than the average people. “Yea maybe for them, but…” is the default response of our reader, even if it’s subconscious. With our “even if” introduction we are taking the common objection away from our reader. This insight into our readers will also will help us stop making assumptions about people’s need for our offer. If everyone thinks they’re special and unique their initial reaction to any of our arguments is “It might work for them, but it wont work for me.” Understanding this will help us craft better openings to our arguments, building a better case for reading further. A subtle goal we should keep in mind is that everything we right should, in some way, keep our reader engaged and moving down the page. “What’s important is that you start addressing a person’s objections before they even have a chance to think them. Your prospect feels like you can read their mind – and that your product can actually solve their problems.” - Benyamin Elias - Dir. Content Marketing @ Active Campaign Example: Headline: The exercise program that help even the most time crushed person lose weight! Even if Introduction: Even if you don’t have hours to spend at the gym, this unique program can work for you, let me explain. (Keep building, here you can even start talking in terms of your own experience.) I used to get overwhelmed thinking about the time commitment I’d have to make if I really wanted to reach my fitness goals, I’m sure you can relate. Time is something we all could use more of, and with all the demands of daily life it can be easy to conclude that if something’s going to get cut, it’s exercise. But here’s the truth, you can accomplish so much more, in so much less time, if you simply take a few moments to learn the “80/20 rule of fitness.” Below you’ll find the routine even the most time crunched person can use Further to get reading noticeable results, fast! — & source: https://link.sean.co/evenif After our introduction it’s time to jump into the meat of our topic. If this is an email, we may choose to send them directly to our offer at this point with a call to action to “find out more”. If this is a sales page we can continue our content marketing piece by sharing the “outline” of our training, focusing more on the benefits of each steps than the techniques, eventually leading to our call to action to buy if they want to get the full system. As a content piece (blog post, ebook, white-paper) we still want to focus on the benefits, but our reader can benefit from a bit deeper dive into the tactical parts of our topic; eventually leading to a call to action to learn about our offer. We’ll dive further into the tactical content in future methods. 38
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com Imitation Game Worksheets
33 headline prompts
✓ Ask a question: ✓ Reference current events: ✓ Create Your Own Terms: ✓ Reveal News (New/Introducing): ✓ Tell The Reader to Do Something: ✓ Give Stats: ✓ Make a Comparison ✓ Promise Useful Information: ✓ Direct Offer: ✓ Tell A (Quick) Story: ✓ Make A Recommendation: ✓ State Benefit: ✓ Use A Testimonial: ✓ Arouse Curiosity: ✓ Promise to Reveal A Secret: ✓ Be Ultra Specific: ✓ Target Section of Your Audience: ✓ Time Based Headline: ✓ Stress Urgency/Scarcity of Savings/Value: ✓ Deliver Good News: ✓ Challenge The Reader: ✓ Highlight Your Guarantee: ✓ State The Price (as benefit): ✓ Set up (seemingly) Contradiction: ✓ Address Reader Objection/Concern: ✓ “As Crazy As it Sounds:” ✓ Take Them To The Promise Land: ✓ Demonstrate ROI: ✓ Reason Why Headline: ✓ List / Answer Questions: ✓ Stress Cost Saving Value: ✓ Highlight Cost of Mistakes: ✓ State / Deliver on Reader’s Goals:
Download the blank worksheet: link.sean.co/ig-ws1 39
#1 Copywriting
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
Effective copy is written to meet a specific, stated objective.
Quickie
Before you start writing be sure you know your objective – e.g. “The aim is to persuade our audience to better understand the benefits of using our service vs. our competitors, in particular when it comes to customer service before they make a service provider choice.” If you don’t know your objective how can you reach it? This saves you lots of time and energy as you begin the writing process. I’ve found that it helps to do some free-writing on your subject to help find your objective, to get any and all thoughts down on the page before you select a specific marketing objective for your piece. Then throw that free writing in the trash, write out a specific objective, and start again. You know you have a solid objective when it’s S.M.A.R.T…
Specific, actionable, realistic, and time-based. Example: In this [email, campaign, sales page, webinar, ad] I want to convince my reader that [specific feature] is better for accomplishing [specific task] than their current method. To do this I will show specific evidence, share specific case studies, and appeal to xyz emotions.
40
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
method
The Imitation Game
part 2 - advertising
How to Find & Break Down High Converting, Fresh Ad Copy So You Can Distill What Makes it Work Into Your Own Ads
41
41
taking the imitation game method further www.getwsodo.com What was before the www.getwsodo.com beginning of the universe? “Before the beginning” is something the human mind utterly can’t comprehend and is a charming example of a limitation that presently isn’t worth spending too much time worrying about… because we plainly can’t comprehend it. I find this concept appealing because I don’t believe in many limitations, I think most of us can accomplish anything we set our minds to. But, the limitation of our ability to comprehend “before the beginning” is just... erotic; it can’t be argued with, you can’t know which came first, the chicken or the egg. I like that. Still, in business, there is a “before the beginning”, assuming the beginning of doing business is a sale… and that “before” is advertising.
next… specialized tools to help you find high converting advertising to analyzes. Ok, onto much less metaphysical stuff. Advertising is the first step for turning a stranger into a customer. It’s the egg that brings to life the metaphorical chicken, and it’s arguably the most important piece to any marketing puzzle. Without it you don’t have the traffic to test your sales messaging, without it you don’t have the foundation of your “argument”, with a high converting ad you have a tool that can scale any business to 7 figures and beyond. Throughout the rest of this guide, we’ll explore advertising on many different levels and from many perspectives, but from a practical standpoint there is a lot to learn by analyzing advertising similar to how we analyzed and created headlines. Along with breaking down the structure of ads, I want to give you some assignments to practice with. These exercises will be akin to looking at a piece of art and attempting to sketch it yourself; the goal is not a perfect copy, but to experience the style of the artist we’re imitating. This method of learning dates back to the master/ appetence age, and is astonishingly powerful. By “going through the motions” before you know all the concepts in work you will build up context to draw from when you are introduced to those concepts later in this guide. advertising copy
Research Tool #1: *
for more details visit:*
http://Sean.co/as
full transparency, this is an affiliate link… My goal is always the same, only promote products I use and believe in, however if you'd rather I not simply do a google search for the product - no hard feelings! 42
Research Tool #1: for www.getwsodo.com more details visit: Sean.co/as
www.getwsodo.com
fresh… why we need to see what’s working in the here and now. In the last section we looked at ways to explore the structure of headlines, now we’re going to look at ads. You can always use a similar approach as the last and save ads that capture attention and have high engagement. They can be found pretty much everywhere online, and I do recommend starting a folder of ads you found useful. However, there is a small issue with that. Advertising has gotten so smart that we’re mostly exposed to ads that are targeted to us specifically, our age/demographics/locations, etc, so we’re not getting exposed to the full breadth of advertising out there that we can learn from. This is where AdvertSuite and similar research tools can be helpful. Especially if you want to explore advertisements in your specific industry or niche. This tool works by allowing you to search for live advertisements on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Google, and Youtube by keyword and other useful attributes. As Marilyn Vos Savant (who is listed as having the highest recorded intelligence quotient in the Guinness Book of Record) puts it “To acquire knowledge, one must study; but to acquire wisdom, one must observe.” Research like the following method can both help you learn the structure of advertising that converts (study), along with giving you inspiration for your own advertising (observe). Another major benefit to this tool is that it lets us see what’s working right now. Many copywriting and advertising books contain classic examples of brand building advertisements by Volkswagon and Coke-a-cola that can teach us some great principles, but practically speaking we’re most likely not running million-dollar brand-building campaigns. We need to see examples of what’s working in the real world now. So let’s dive into the steps to getting the most out of this tool in our research phase, we’ll do this by first looking at each step in the process (best practices) along with a few worksheets and methods for capturing your knowledge for later reference and use.
taking the imitation game method further How to study what’s working now in advertising to design better campaigns. 43
join advertsuite: sean.co/as
Step 1: Define Your Key Objective
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
why… wondering aimlessly can be fun, but it’s not terribly effective. There are many different ways to search for advertisements to study with the AdvertSuite tool, the following is what I consider the ‘best practices’ for the research process. As in the last exercise, you must first define your objective before you research. Example of a Bad Objective: “To look at ad structure in niches related to mine and emulate them in my own ads.” Example of Good Objective: “To find examples of ads that convey the benefits of the product/service in a way that’s engaging and reader-focused, so that I can dissect the structure and apply it to my own ads and campaigns. I aim to market my [XYZ product/service] specific features/benefits to [audience profile], inviting them to experience the difference my product has to offer.” This objective will guide you as you explore different ads, you may have other objectives as well - but the main objective should be the focus. You know you have a solid objective when it’s S.M.A.R.T. – Specific, actionable, realistic, and timebased… though time base isn’t as applicable here.
Step 2: Keyword Based Searches in AdvertSuite Explained We’re able to search by either Keywords, Advertiser, or Domain. Let’s start with Keywords. Different combinations of “keyword type” within the tool will give us very different types of results. This may seem pretty straight forward, but there are pro’s and cons to different combinations of filters. 1.) Select “Keywords" from The Search Mode Drop Down
2.) We’ll start with searching by 'Ad Text’ - select from type dropdown
The benefit of searching by “ad text” is that you’re very likely to get relevant ads, a benefit of searching by comments is you’re guaranteed to have ads with engagement (ads with no comments aren’t going to show). Searching keywords on the “landing page text” is similar to ad text, but goes a step further… sometimes ads themselves may have little text and let the image do the talking, which makes it difficult to search by keyword, where the landing page may have lots more context for important keywords to be found. When in doubt, try searching all three. When using the keyword search I recommend starting with the obvious: Your Industry [e.g. Marketing] / Related Topics [e.g. ads, copywriting, social media] / Your Niche [e.g. Copywriting, lead generation, closing sales, plumbing marketing] / and names of individuals in your industry.
Sorting The Results… Next, we’ll want to select how we want to sort our results. All fairly selfexplanatory, but I tend to weigh engagement higher than time periods as a priority. Likes/Comments/Shares are powerful ways of sorting out ads with messaging that is strong enough to obtain interaction, though we can’t be certain it’s a high converting ad, we can assume it has the foundational pieces of one. “Longest Running” is also a useful measurement of the success of the ad, most companies don’t leave poorly converting ads running for long. 44
Step 2: continued…
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
We now have quite a few different ways to hone in our ad search with many different filters and parameters.
Once we have our keyword selected we can dial in our results. I recommend starting as broad as possible, as in before you select any of the many filtering options you see what type of results come up for just the keywords / sorting option. Depending on our keyword we may have many thousands of results to filter through, or just have a few dozen if the topic is very niche. Here’s a breakdown of the filters and how/when to apply them… “Select Country” - Useful for very broad topic keywords that may have ads in many different countries, if we are focused on selling in a specific region (e.g. USA) we may wish to simply show results only from this area. Another powerful strategy is to use this filter to see how ad copy may differ from region to region, smart advertisers will create custom ads for different regions that may appeal better to that specific area. You can always start broad, and capture and compare different ads from different countries to explore. “Ad Seen Between” / “Post Date Between” - These options let us hone in on specific timeframes that the ads were either created or displayed. Generally, I’d recommend only using these if your keyword is extremely broad (e.g. Holiday Special) or if you want to find ads that were posted, say, last year and compare them with ads posted this year. Comparing and contrasting highly engaged with ads from different time frames is a great way to study different campaigns; especially if your products have peak seasons. “Buttons” - This filter is something you could use to compare engagement between different “calls to action”, at this moment the filter seems to bring in both the generic “CTA’s” from Facebook, along with custom ones - so it can be tricky to know which ones to use. I rarely use this filter, but again, it may be useful if you wish to compare ads with “learn more” vs. “click here” or similar. “Ad Position” - For Facebook specifically this allows you to sort ads to show from either the Newsfeed or the Sidebar. Given that these areas have different specifications for image/text amounts this filter can be very useful in finding examples to emulate in their natural habitat. A newsfeed ad is going to very different from a sidebar ad, and in general, we want to customize our message to fit the medium. I recommend using this filter to capture examples of ads in each area for analyzation. “Gender, Language, Age” - These demographic data points can be very useful to see how different advertisers adjust their messaging to different demographics. This is especially true if our product is designed for specific demos and less of a general audience. Personally, I like to make my ads appeal to as broad an audience as possible, but there’s a lot to be said to niching down the message to “Male, 18-25, who speak Italian” if that is indeed our target audience. A good way to use this in research is to compare how advertisers may change their messaging when targeting Male vs. Female; using this as a filter and capturing examples from both may serve as inspiration for us to perhaps modify our message for different ad sets for these two audiences types.a “Funnel, E-Commerce” - This filter allows us to select specific technologies that the ads lead to, for Funnel we could always examine ads that use the same tools we use - however, this does little to help us understand how well the ad performs and I don’t recommend worrying too much about this filter. Now the ‘e-Commerce” filter can be very useful if we want to examine ads that are product-related; in general, these platforms listed are majority physical products and as such can be a useful filter for us to weed out service ads. “Casino” - This last section is a category selector that mostly applies to specific industry type ads. This can be largely ignored unless you find yourself with clients in these categories, or you yourself sell a product/service in them. join advertsuite: 45 sean.co/as
Step 3: generating useful search results www.getwsodo.com Here’s an example of a simple keyword search I performed with the objective of seeing ads about www.getwsodo.com “marketing” (services) that have been running the longest since the beginning of the year. Note, I didn’t use the keyword “marketing services” because in the ad itself it’s unlikely that that phrase would be used; but the term “marketing” would likely be used. To accomplish this I selected a “Keywords” search, with the “Ad Text” of ‘marketing’, I selected the filter “Running Longest” since I want to see which ads likely are getting good results for the advertiser, again, good advertisers rarely keep ads running that aren’t profitable. I decided that since I am sorting by “Running Longest” I don’t really want to see the running longest ads of all time since at this point I’m interested in what’s working lately [part of my objective]; so I selected an “Ad Seen Between” date from Jan 1st,2019 to today… this means the ad search results will return ads posted in the last 8 months, containing the keyword ‘marketing’, and sorted by the longest-running ads.
A Look at The Results… The Advertiser
More Details*
Condensed Ad Copy We’re returned with quite a few ads to examine, each of which has a different flavor and style for us to learn from. Some are long-form, some are video, and some are short text. Next we want to capture this data for detailed examination and break down. You can save ads you like as “Favorites” by selecting the Star Icon in each ad, however, I recommend using a 3rd party tool to capture the specifics of the ad so you can capture all your notes for future review. There are many different ways to do this, something as simple as a Ad Image
Google Doc will get the job done, but what I’ve to be the most effective is a tool called Trello. Trello is generally used as a project management tool, but it can be customized as a kind of ‘database’ for application here.
Engagement & Post Date
= Data Capture Tool
* the "more details” icon is where you can find links to the original ad.
By saving our results in a way we can later review we're creating ourselves a powerful asset that can easily be accessed in the future for inspiration.46
Step 4: capturing & reviewing results www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
The beauty of Trello is that it’s highly customizable, and doesn’t hurt that all the functionality you’ll need for this is included in its free version. I’ve kept an “advertisement board” for years where I save screenshots of my favorite ads both online and off. Combining this tool with AdvertSuite (Sean.co/as) will make the task of analyzing much easier. Here’s my recommended use case for this strategy. First, if you don’t already have a Trello account go set one up for free at Trello.com. I recommend reviewing some of their basic tutorials before we continue since I won’t be going in-depth into every single piece of the software; however, it is quite intuitive and if you’ve ever used any kind of project or task management software before you shouldn’t have a problem following along. We’ll be creating “Columns” (Lists), which in Trello are usually reserved for “To Do”, “Doing”, and “Done” out of our ‘keyword’... you can always choose your own path to how you set up the columns, for example, my main advertising board is separated out by industry & medium, but if I were to start again fresh I would probably stick to a ‘keyword’ structure.
A Trello “Column” (List) You can have as many Columns as you like since Trello will allow you to scroll horizontally. As mentioned, for this example we’ll make columns out of the keywords we used to search. To add a column simply click in the dark area on the board that says “+ Add another list” & type.
The Trello “Card” Trello stores information in the form of “cards”, these cards can contain all types of different information, and can be highly customized. For our purposes, we’ll be storing information on the ads we are collecting from AdvertSuite, along with all our notes. 1.
To add a card click on the column where it says “+ Add a card”
2.
I like to name the card the “Page Title” + “Ad Type” with its respective data.
3.
Next, we can add what Trello calls “Labels”, these can be used to sort our cards later, you can add many different types of labels but I mainly just add the platform (Facebook) and the ad type (Newsfeed). This will be very helpful in the future when you have ads saved from other platforms.
4. In the description, I suggest including details on the search settings you used from AdvertSuite. 5.
You can also add comments, or invite others to add comments on the cards as well. I will sometimes add custom tags based on the keywords in the ad for help with search later.
47
There’s no right or wrong with card setup, you feel free to customize to your hearts content.
Step 4: capturing & reviewing results continued…
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
The Trello “Card” Next, we want to capture as much information from the advertisement itself onto the Card. Sometimes ad accounts get shut down, or advertisers delete the ads so we’ll want to make sure we add as much data as possible. First, within the AdvertSuite ad results, you’ll see the “More Info” icon, clicking this will take you to a detailed page with more information on the ad itself, along with a link to the properly formatted ad in Facebook. Here’s the information I recommend capturing… 1.
A screenshot of the full ad (From source to preserve formatting).
2.
Copy the text directly from the ad - copy this text into a Google Doc (or equivalent) and link to this in the Trello Card.
3.
Add a link to the landing page.
4. A screenshot of the landing page.* 5.
Add a screenshot of the AdvertSuite “More Info” page.
6. A screenshot of the “most relevant” comments from the ad. * There is a handy Google Chrome Extension called ‘FireShot’ that will let you take a screenshot of pages that are longer than your screen.
From the AdvertSuite “More Info” Page you can click the ‘learn more’ button to open the original ad.
Again, before we continue - it’s worth restating. We’re capturing this information to study, learn from, and emulate in form. Not to directly copy. If you copy word for word from the ads you are studying you are liable for copyright infringement which is illegal. If you’re not sure if you’re plagiarizing someone's work you can always consult with a lawyer, but the rule of thumb of simply not using the same words and exact structure of an ad is usually sufficient. This is especially true if it’s a similar product or service. It’s ok to have more or less info then what I listed here within your card. The idea is to capture as much as possible to learn from, but sometimes even just having a screenshot of the ad is enough for further examination. For example, I will normally only capture the long-form text of an ad if I plan on exploring its structure in detail. For a step by step process on how to break down long-form ads see the section: “Contrarian Copy Structure” and “The A’s of Influence - The 5 Foundations of Persuasion” exercises. There is, however, an exercise we can do for each one of these ads that is made easier by the specific data we’ve used to generate these search results. In this case, we know that this ad has been running continually since February (the longest-running in the set we have generated), has high engagement, and leads to a lead capture landing page.
With that in mind we can great questions to explore this ad… 48
Step 5: asking the right questions…
The Imitation Game www.getwsodo.com -www.getwsodo.com Advertising Emulation Exercise Critical thinking is a distinctive way of examining information and is what we are doing when we dig below the superficial elements of the advertisements we are studying. At first, the process may seem tedious, but over time you will find that there is beauty in this type of examination, and hopefully, the process will inform other areas of your life beyond business. To get the most out of the questions we ask and the answers we give it’s critical we remember why we’re asking them in the first place. There can be many reasons, but above all our goal should be to learn from the structure & persuasion principles within the ad. That learning is accomplished by critically thinking about each question and expanding upon our answer if our answer brings up more questions! We have a unique set of data behind the ad copy itself by using the AdvertSuit tool. We can let the different options we selected at the onset of our search guide our questioning process. Here’s what we know from the example over the last few pages… The ads listed were posted in the last 8 months, contain the keyword ‘marketing’, and are sorted by the longest-running ads. We also know how many comments, shares, and likes each post has received. And we can dig into the funnel to examine the copy on the landing pages & sales pages. This may not sound like a lot of information, but it’s much more than if we were to just pull an ad at random from our newsfeed to examine.
Questions to Consider For Each Ad You Analyze… 1.
Who do you think the advertiser is trying to target? (Be as specific as possible)
19. What warnings are given in the ad? (if any) 20. What facts do they share to support their claims? (if any)
2. What is the short term goal of the ad after the click? (e.g. to capture a lead, or a sale, brand building) 3. What is the product or service being sold at the end of the
21. What authority elements are within the ad? 22. In what ways does the ad appeal to the reader’s desires? 23. What “enemy” is defined in the ad? (if any)
funnel? 4. What is the price point of the product or service? 5. What is the core ‘attention grabber’ being used? 6. What benefits does the ad share?
24. What specific pains are defined in the ad? (if any) 25. What elements within the ad did you find entertaining or uniquely different from others you’ve seen? 26. What objections were brought up within the ad about the claim
7. What do you think stoked the engagement on the ad? 8. What would you consider adding to the ad to increase engagement?
or product & how were they addressed? 27. Can you identify any ‘rhyming’ or repetitive elements that drive home a point?
9. Why effect do you think the image had on the engagement? 10. What is the general mood of the advertisement? (e.g. Combative, inspiring, exciting, fearful)
28. Do they associate themselves with anything specific to increase perceived authority? 29. What fears and hopes does the ad bring to mind?
11. What ‘dream’ or ‘desire’ does the ad inspire the reader to aspire to? 12. In what ways do you think the ad could improve?
30. Putting yourself in the shoes of the audience, in what ways would you say the ad is effective & ineffective.
13. What is the “thesis” or main claim of the advertisement? 14. What story (if any) does the ad share with the reader? 15. Does the ad take a ‘contrarian point of view’? If so, what is this view & how does it differ from the average. 16. What emotions is the advertiser attempting to evoke, and how? 17. What lessons are they teaching the audience? 18. What is the call to action?
Download questions in worksheet form: link.sean.co/ig-qws I challenge you to come up with more questions, these are just examples. If you’re not sure how to answer some of these questions review different sections within this book for more context. I recommend placing your answers to these questions in the Trello card you make for each ad.
“Picasso was onto this truth fifty years ago when he commented, “Computers are 49A More Beautiful Question useless—they only give you answers.” ― Warren Berger,
#2 Copywriting
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
Quickie
You won’t stand out if you don’t stand out.
If your copy reads like a textbook or a generic infomercial you’ll likely turn off many of your readers. Add some sauce, make your steamed chicken of a product feature excite the taste buds. Use colorful language combined with metaphors, similes and poignant stories to break out of the drab cloth that most marketing is dressed in. However, don’t go too ham… Balance the gusto with substance and avoid flowery language just for the sake of it. Striking that balance will give you marketing that doesn’t feel like marketing.
Dress your content with an engaging and interesting style and tone, but don’t let it overshadow your message. 51
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
method
Amazon R&D
How to Use the Forces Behind The “Overlooked” Part of Best Sellers to Better Understand Your Audience
52
52
www.getwsodo.com Judging a Book www.getwsodo.com By It’s Cover Books Don’t Just Sell Because of Their Titles They Sell Because of the Promise In the Sub-Title. Admittedly a good title is important. However next time you go to a book store pay attention to why you select the books you do. Unless the book was recommended to you, or you’re a fan of the author, chances are the sub-title influenced your decision more than you realized. These sub-titles are often the essence of the “promise” of the book, what the reader can expect to gain from reading it.
Authors often agonize when creating the main title for their book. Some high-profile authors pay thousands and thousands of dollars to experts just to come up with a catchy main title. But when it comes to book marketing of nonfiction books, the subtitle is the most important element. - Smith Publicity
It’s also a fantastic place to explore what’s enticing people in our specific niche. Similar to our last method we’re going to collect book sub-titles to inspire our own copy. Note, this strategy isn’t just for selling books (though it can be used for that); it’s designed to help you create copy for ANY type of product or service.
The Title May Grab Your Attention… But the Subtitle Should Seal The Deal.
53
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com Leveraging Amazon Best Sellers
Don’t Judge a Book By Its Cover… Judge by Its SubTitle.
Step #1 Write Brief
Take out a piece of paper and at the top of the page write a brief description of what you want your reader to do by the end of your writing piece. Example: My goal for this content is for the reader to be inspired to register for a webinar that’s selling my course on XYZ, I want them to see the pitfalls that befall those who don’t take action.
Step #2 Research
Go to amazon.com's book section and select the niche of your product. Sort by best sellers or featured.
54
www.getwsodo.com Sub-Titles Thatwww.getwsodo.com Capture Attention
“A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life” QUESTION REALITY
“Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business” CREATE INTRIGUE
“How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life" INSPIRE THOUGHT
“The Secret to Love that Lasts”
PROMISE POWERFULLY
55
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com Adapting the Subtitle
Step #3 Adapt
Now we again map out the structure and expand upon it for our own niche. We’ll revisit our Real Estate example and see how we can adapt the book sub-title to our niche.
Structure
What it says: “A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life”
“A [adjective] Approach to [enticing promise]”
Expand
“A [Uniquely Powerful] Approach To [Making Millions Short Selling Homes]”
“A [Uniquely Powerful] Approach To [Making Millions Short Selling Homes], And Why Many Agents Are Missing Out Big Time. ” What’s in it for them if they continue on reading our material?
Modifier = End Result + Time Frame 56
#3 Copywriting
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
keep. it. simple.
Quickie
“Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.” - Steven Jobs
What made the iPod so successful? It did one thing, and it did that one thing flawlessly. We should aim to do the same in our copy. It can be easy to over-complicate things that we don’t understand. Be sure to revise your uncertainties away and keep in mind that a large part of your job is to simplify the complex for our reader. If you’re unsure if something is simple enough do “the grandma test”, as Albert Einstein put it – if you can’t explain it simple enough for your grandmother to understand it, you don’t understand it well enough. Look for the simple truth hidden in the content, often a large chunk of information can be summed up in one line. However, don’t oversimplify things to the point that your audience feels talked “down to”. Simple good, simplistic, bad.
Revise your first draft with the aim of simplifying and clarifying your message. 58
s mind a reader g in g n a Ch ke a lot li vior is a h e b & ins! mounta moving
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
method
COGNITIVE MANIPULATION
PART 1: COGNITIVE BIASES
controversial yet impossible to ignore… How To Ethically Harness Built In Biases of Your Reader to Greatly Increase Your Influence & Sales.
fallacy black-and-white
glittering genera lities
loaded
“Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though
langua ge
checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.” thoughtterminat ing clich é
61
― Theodore Roosevelt
b authority
fear appeal
ias
COGNITIVE MANIPULATION method overview
PART 1 cognitive biases
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
We all have built in cognitive bias’ that influence our decision making processes heavily; for good and ill. Knowing how to harness their power can allow us to better frame benefits, overcome objections… and craft some killer copy.
Walking The Fine Line Between Persuasion & Manipulation Persuasion: To cause (someone) to do something through reasoning or argument. Manipulation: To control or influence cleverly, unfairly, or unscrupulously.
A cognitive bias is a mistake in reasoning, evaluating, remembering, or other cognitive process, often occurring as a result of holding onto one's preferences and beliefs regardless of contrary information. There are as many as 180 known cognitive bias’. Leveraging cognitive biasses may sound, well, manipulative… and at a certain level there’s no denying the impact they have in the decision making process. Let’s not forget, however, every form of communication is designed to influence in one way or another, marketing is not unique in that aspect. Our goal is not to manipulate, the implication being that we're acting only with our interests in mind and with unscrupulous tactics … No, our goal is to persuade; the difference being that everyone wins in the equation, and our reader has come to their decision fairly. Here’s what you need to keep in mind, and this is a point I’ll repeat many times in this guide… If, and only if, you believe in your offers real value should you consider influencing your reader with these strategies. Let’s also not forget it’s your ethical, and often legal, responsibility to be truthful & transparent in your efforts to close the sale. When done well, and with integrity, you’ll come to find that not only do you have influence, but you're genuinely helping others with your offers in a sustainable way. Let's now investigate a handful of “cognitive biases” and explore ways to ethically use them to increase the persuasive power of our marketing.
62
COGNITIVE MANIPULATION PART 1
THE BIAS: Affect Heuristic give motive & emotion to your message www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
Context: This mental shortcut is often executed when making automatic decisions, and relates to how our current emotional state affects our decision. Rather than taking the time (logically) to consider the long-term consequences of a decision, we often rely too heavily on our emotions to control the process. It may be seen as ‘useful’ by our subconscious because it shortens the decision-making process and allows us to function without having to complete an extensive search for information. “If their feelings towards an activity are positive, then people are more likely to judge the risks as low and the benefits high. On the other hand, if their feelings towards an activity are negative, they are more likely to perceive the risks as high and benefits low.” - The Affect Heuristic in Judgment of Risks and Benefits, Journal of Behavioral Decision Making.
[1] Finucane, M.L.; Alhakami, A.; Slovic, P.; Johnson, S.M. ( January 2000). "The Affect Heuristic in Judgment of Risks and Benefits". Journal of Behavioral Decision Making. Source: https://link.sean.co/a-h-s [2] Wikipedia contributors. "Affect heuristic." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia [3] The Decision Lab - Biases - Affect Heuristic - https://thedecisionlab.com/biases/affect-heuristic
from positive to negative…
“I don't want to be at the mercy of my emotions. I want to use them, to enjoy them, and to dominate them.” ― Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray
… and back again
here’s what to do
This tendency to calculate risk based on a current emotional state (positive or negative) has many different applications in our messaging. First, let’s look at the positive state. Since a positive state of emotion generally reduces the perception of risk in our reader, we’ll want to make sure that as our message weaves in and out of positive and negative emotional language that we conclude our message on a clear and justifiable positive note. This usually is right before a specific call to action to purchase where our reader is most likely to be calculating potential the potential risks of the action, where a positive state of mind is going to serve our end goal the best. This isn’t to say we shouldn’t use any negative language in our messaging. By highlighting the risks of not taking action, not changing, and the potential risks of not applying our message we can draw a powerful contrast when we bring our tone back to positive at the end of our message. Principally, when we look at our message as a whole, ideally it will be net positive; like a Hollywood blockbuster hero film with just enough drama, excitement, peril, and uplifting twists to bring our reader to a happy ending. •
Associate negative emotions with the competition, other approaches, and lack of action.
•
Associate positive emotions, concepts, and events with our offer.
Principally, when we look at our message as a whole, ideally it will be net positive; like a Hollywood blockbuster hero film with just enough drama, excitement, peril, and uplifting twists to bring our reader to a happy ending. Warning: Avoid being a drama-king or queen! Don’t overplay emotions or you will be seen as manipulative. Intensity should be weighed against the magnitude of the topic. Being subtle can be just as effective as being overt, and it is a much more tasteful approach. 63
cognitive biases
COGNITIVE MANIPULATION PART 1
the confused mind says no.
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com THE BIAS: Choice Overload / Overchoice Bias / Paradox of Choice Context: Overchoice or choice overload is a cognitive process in which people have a difficult time making a decision when faced with many options. The term was first introduced by Alvin Toffler in his 1970 book, Future Shock. Much of our subconscious decision-making processes are centered on calculating risks, and the difficulty of those calculations greatly influences the quality of that process. Another component of overchoice is the perception of time.
A or B
Also relevant is the finding that “more choices result with more dissatisfaction and regret in decisions.” (Iyengar, Sheena S.; Lepper, Mark R.), and “Images [...] require less mental effort to be processed which gives the consumer a sense that the information is being processed faster. Consumers prefer this visual shortcut to processing […] no matter how big the choice set size. Images increase our perceived variety of options. […] variety is good when making the first step of choosing an assortment.” (Townsend, Claudia; Kahn, Barbara E).
A study of two jam-tasting booths in a grocery store sum this effect up well. One booth had six options, and the other had twenty-four. Although the larger booth did draw in more customers, only 3% of those drawn in eventually made purchases compared to approximately 30% of those drawn into the smaller booth. [1] Iyengar, Sheena S.; Lepper, Mark R. (2000). "When choice is demotivating: Can one desire too much of a good thing?" (PDF) https://link.sean.co/demotivating-choice-pdf [2] Townsend, Claudia; Kahn, Barbara E. (2014). "The "Visual Preference Heuristic": The Influence of Visual versus Verbal Depiction on Assortment Processing, Perceived Variety, and Choice Overload". Journal of Consumer Research. 40 - https://link.sean.co/visual-heuristic [3] Wikipedia contributors. "Overchoice." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia [4] The Decision Lab - Choice Overload Bias https://thedecisionlab.com/biases/choice-overload-bias
Click Here to Load More…
here’s what you do a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z It may be easy to assume that ‘more is better’ when it comes to product options, especially when selling physical products. We may have a page full of size options, color options, and dozens of other products to choose from around the product we’re selling. Because more is better, right? The ‘choice overload’ principle calls this assumption into question, and in reality, the truth is that we’re more likely to frustrate the customer leading them to make NO choices.
•
We want to streamline any product configuration process, perhaps by simply presenting the most common options at first; with a way to display more options if we have them.
•
For any given product or service we’ll want to offer no more than 3 pricing tiers per configuration… this is easy to see in action on almost all Software offers, and it’s a good place to start.
• •
On order and lead capture forms reduce the information captured to the bare minimum. When presenting different options do so in a visually appealing way that easily distinguishes the options.
The Rule of Two: Too many choices overwhelm, but having only one option can also be risky… there is never only one option; the person can choose to just leave the page or not buy. Presenting two specific options (see also “blackand-white fallacy”) is an effective way to leverage the desire to have some variety and the ability to choose. We can do this even if we only have one, how? By framing a choice… For example on a lead capture page for a guide on gardening we can “Sign up Today” or “No, I’m not interested in learning about gardening.” The choice invites them to think instead of just habitually closing the page, and a conscious decision is always better than an unconscious one. Earn Trust by Helping in The Calculation Process. In longer form copy & content marketing we can effectively present numerous different options (of perspective, schools of thought, or approaches) related to our topic. We will earn trust by helping our readers systematically prioritize and reduce those options down to a few core critical ones to choose from, ideally ones in favor of our argument and call to action.
cognitive biases 65
COGNITIVE MANIPULATION PART 1
THE BIAS: Forer Effect / Barnum effect www.getwsodo.com
www.getwsodo.com you’re the kind of person who… (generic positive action & attributions here)
Context: The Forer effect (or Barnum effect; or ‘glittering generalities’ in Propaganda jargon) describes the “psychological phenomenon whereby individuals give high accuracy ratings to descriptions of their personality that supposedly are tailored specifically to them, that are in fact vague and general enough to apply to a wide range of people.” Think astrology, fortune-telling, aura reading, and some types of personality tests. The effect ranges from innocent flattery to outright deception. In darker realms, this technique is used by con-artists to convince their victims that the conman has ‘paranormal gifts’. I find it hilarious that they skirt their responsibility for use of this ‘strategy’ by stating in very fine text “For Entertainment Purposes Only” on their materials. This principle works because we may find it impressive & perhaps even astonishing when someone identifies a seemingly unique personal belief we hold dear, knowledge that we interpret as uniquely ours, when, in reality, it’s actually quite generic. In marketing, it can be used effectively to validate (the process whereby others confirm the validity of one's emotions) a person’s decisions and opinions in relation to what’s being marketed. It is especially powerful & useful in the marketing of causes & public relations but also has its place at some level in all forms of marketing. [1] “Barnum Effect | psychology". Encyclopedia Britannica https://link.sean.co/barnum-e [2] Carroll, Robert. "Barnum effect". The Skeptic's Dictionary. The Skeptic's Dictionary. Retrieved 26 February 2017. Wikipedia contributors. "Barnum effect." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia
See also: “Glittering Generalities” in Part 2: Principles of Propaganda & ‘Prove Their Presumptions’ in the ‘A’s of Influence’.
here’s what you do know thy audience Restating for effect: as usual, we need to implement these principles with respect for their power to influence our readers. Do not attempt to flatter your way to success, once the charade is identified you will find yourself (at best) losing the trust of your audience. If you use this approach to ‘trick’ someone into buying you may make sales, but it is not a sustainable path to attain happy & satisfied customers. Our goal is not to exploit, but to understand.
Emotional Transfer & Thought Validation In Content Marketing - The Power of ‘You’ Content marketing is in part about persuading our reader of the validity of our point of view. Part of persuasion is validating the values & emotions we believe others should feel in relation to our topic. Should they feel mad? Happy? Angry? Elated? Whatever the emotion, and whatever the intensity of that emotion, we can use the Barnum Effect to actively transfer it to our reader. How? By using rhetorical ‘Barnum statements’. For example, let's say you're writing copy raising funds for a charity to fight fires in Australia, we can transfer the urgency of the situation with a statement such as “... you’re the kind of person (Barnum statement) who understands the importance of community, imagine if everything you knew and loved was in the path of a raging inferno? No doubt you would (Barnum statement) be scared, angry, and want to do everything you could to save what you love.” There’s a high probability that just about anyone will agree with these statements, and likely strongly identify with them if they are your target audience - if you’re looking to raise funds from wealthy people likely they are community-oriented and care about the future. If they’re not your target audience they won’t identify with the values you’ve identified, and that’s just fine… as stated, they’re likely not our target audience anyway; people who don’t care about community aren’t likely to donate to a cause designed to help save a community. cognitive biases 66
COGNITIVE MANIPULATION PART 1
THE BIAS: Forer Effect / Barnum effect
continued…
Tests & Surveys.
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
You’ve probably seen (and fallen victim to) the ‘BuzzFeed’ style generic quizzes such as “Which Harry Potter Character Are You?” or “Which Disney Prince Are You Most Likely to Marry”, I’ll be honest, I’m quite curious which Lord of the Rings character I am. These quizzes usually spit out results with generic ‘reasons’ as to why you fall under one category or another, each reason can vaguely apply to just about anyone - but for some reason (we now know why) we find ourselves compelled by it’s seeming uncanny accuracy. In our own marketing we can design similar principled quizzes, but with less ‘generic’ and more useful attribution to the responses. Useful in the same way that our ‘Barnum statements’ in our content can help separate qualified leads from non-qualified. After all, our marketing budget will be served well if we strive to mostly focus our efforts on qualified individuals. A test asking individuals to rate on a scale of 1 - 10 their feelings/opinions about a given topic is a simple way to implement this tactic. Tools such as Typeform [save 10% - https://link.sean.co/typeform ] have made this process simple, and allow you to display results dynamically based on the answers supplied. Building on our raising money for fighting Australia’s fires example you could design the following survey:
Title: How “Community Conscious” Are You? Your score may surprise you... Q: on a scale of 1 to 10 how important is supporting your community to you? Q: on a scale of 1 to 10 how painful would it be for you to leave your community & start somewhere new? Q: on a scale of 1 to 10 how emotionally effected have you been by news of the devastating fires in both the United States & Australia? You then set up 3 groups within Typeform [save 10% - https://link.sean.co/typeform ] to segment the responders based on their scores into less interested in community, interested in community, and very interested in community. Your message to the ‘Very Interested in Community’ group may read along the lines of… “Congratulations! You’re clearly the type of person who cares about their community, the world needs more people like you. We commend your commitment to helping to foster love and happiness in your community and understand that you likely would be devastated if you found that your own community was under threat. [Segway into the call to action.] At [Name of Foundation] we strive to support communities around the world that face threats that no one wants to think about, and we’d love to invite you to help us in that mission. Today only a very generous donor has agreed to a dollar-for-dollar match of any amount contributed to our campaign to help the families & animals in the path of the devastating fires in Australia. Your contribution is a powerful way to say “YES! I care!” and help do your part to keep the devastation contained, and away from communities just like yours, even on the other side of the planet. You can adjust the message based on the responses for the other groups, but it’s highly likely if the questions are possed correctly, the majority of individuals will fall into your “very interested” group. Especially if you’ve correctly targeted audiences that are more likely to connect with shared core values. There are other ways to tactfully use this strategy to connect with your target audience, the simplest way for you to do so is by mastering the rhetorical use of “you” in your marketing. It is perhaps the most effective way to transform the onesided nature of writer/reader relationship into a genuine conversation.
67
cognitive biases
COGNITIVE MANIPULATION PART 1
THE BIAS: Framing Effect / Choice Architecture www.getwsodo.com
www.getwsodo.com the way you’re saying it can matter more than what you’re saying
Context: The framing effect has consistently proven to be one of the strongest biases in decision making. It is a cognitive bias where people decide on options based on whether the options are presented with positive or negative connotations (loss or gain). ‘Prospect theory’ demonstrates that a loss is seen as more significant, and thus more worthy of avoiding, than an equivalent gain. Framing your messages in a positive light – pointing out what’s to be gained – is a useful way to position the ‘lifestyle’ (value systems) you’re selling while also giving them positive associations with your message. Negative framing has it’s place, for example, you can ruminate on the consequences (losses) of not taking certain actions, or not believing/knowing certain things. Both are powerful ways to position your message as a net positive outcome for your customer, and inspire confidence in what you’re asking them to do is the best course of action. [1] Plous, Scott (1993). The psychology of judgment and decision making. McGraw-Hill. [2] The Decision Lab - Framing Effect https://thedecisionlab.com/biases/ framing-effect [3] Wikipedia contributors. "Framing effect (psychology)." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.
What will they gain? Framing for positive gains. More people will support an economic policy if the employment rate is emphasized than when the associated unemployment rates are highlighted. (Druckman, J. (2001b). "Using credible advice to overcome framing effects". Journal of Law.… 17: 62–82 - https://link.sean.co/gain-study)
What will they avoid? Framing for loss avoidance. 93% of PhD students registered early when a penalty fee for late registration was emphasized, with only 67% doing so when this was presented as a discount for earlier registration. (Gächter, S.; Orzen, H.; Renner, E.; Stamer, C. (2009) - Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization. 70 - https://link.sean.co/loss-study )
here’s what you do… framing tactics & strategies to leverage in your copy...
1.
Contextual Savings Frame Comparing the cost of your offer to easily recognized examples that lower the perceived expense, or increase the perceived value. ‘For less than the price of a cup of coffee per day…” or “A similar college level course cost well over $3,000, but today, for less than 10% of that price you can enjoy our…”
$2/day vs. $60 69
cognitive biases
COGNITIVE MANIPULATION PART 1
THE BIAS: Framing Effect / Choice Architecture
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
vs.
2.
Picking the Right Number You can report the same numerical information from different perspectives. • When it’s a ‘good’ number, pick the ‘larger’ frame e.g. instead of “2x growth” position it as “200% growth” or “save 30%” as opposed to “save $7” • When it’s a ‘bad’ number, pick the ‘smaller’ frame [if you need to share bad news, ideally you’ll want to also explain why it actually isn’t that bad.] e.g. instead of “losing $100”, position it as “losing only 1% of the total”. Unless, of course, you’re reporting something negative that works in your favor, in which case you’d want to emphasize the larger number. • When the number has different perspectives attached, picked the positive perspective e.g. “80% fat-free yogurt” vs. “contains only 20% fat”.
3.
Savings or Penalty? You should highlight any available savings while also highlighting any risks of not taking advantage of the savings.
“Save 20% today only! Don’t miss out!”
4.
“Good vs. Evil” Frame The hero and villain story is as old as stories themselves. Position your brand & offer as a hero, or better a yet a powerful assisting tool to your hero; your customer. Position any number of conflicting forces as the ‘enemy’, these can be internal to your customer (e.g. mindset, habits, ignorance) or external (e.g. other inferior products, time, government). See ‘Hero’s Journey’ & ‘A’s of Influence’ Frameworks for more. 70
cognitive biases
COGNITIVE MANIPULATION PART 1
THE BIAS: Framing Effect / Choice Architecture
continued…
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
5.
Us vs. Everyone Else ‘Community Frame’ - Similar to ‘good vs. evil’ frame, ‘us vs. them’ is a way to position their act of joining your ‘community’ (through purchase or otherwise) as taking a stand for a positive value, that, ‘Everyone Else’ mistakingly hasn’t yet joined.
6.
‘Unique in a Sea of The Same’ Frame Taking advantage of the “innovation bias”. Frame your offer, approach, message, or brand as a new and innovative approach to solving an important problem of your audience. Build an argument as to why the new way is better, and why the old way leads to disaster.
7.
‘Because I’m Worth It’ Frame - This tagline from L’Oreal is a powerful frame. How can you position your offer in terms of your customer’s “entitlement” to the benefits your offer brings to them? “
You’ve worked long and hard to build your business, you deserve the peace of mind that comes with knowing it’s in the right hands…” Am I presenting it this the most attractive way? You can combine a number of these different frames together throughout your different pieces of marketing to appeal in different ways to different segments of your audience. Frames can serve as high-level guidance for your marketing in general and also give you specific tactical tools to increase your conversions. The guiding principle to always consider is best put in the form of a question… am I presenting my information in the most attractive way?
71
next… Prospect Theory & Loss Aversion
COGNITIVE MANIPULATION PART 1
THE BIAS: Prospect Theory & Loss Aversion www.getwsodo.com “losses loom larger than gains”
www.getwsodo.com
This bias and related principles build upon the concepts discussed in ‘framing’ but deserve their own exploration. We risk putting ourselves at a disadvantage in our marketing if we don’t understand how to correctly implement ‘loss aversion’. At first glance, this bias is so illogical that it ‘feels’ like it shouldn’t be true, and without fully understanding it we’ll very likely find ourselves loosing both sales & the interest of our readers. Context: The principle from which many other biases stem, ‘prospect theory’, stipulates that the “pain of losing” registers with twice the impact as the “pleasure of gaining” a similar amount. Logically we would assume that gaining $100 would have an equal net impact psychologically than losing $100. But prospect theory demonstrates that the impact of losing $100 is much more impactful (2x more) than gaining $100. Meaning to emotionally “fix” a loss of $100, one would need to gain $200. This also leads to the equally illogically conclusion that “it’s better to not lose $5 than to find $5”... it logically should be seen as equal, shouldn’t it? These illogical calculations of our subconscious lead to a ‘loss aversion’ bias at the psychological level, with many related consequences. This also means that people are biased towards ‘sure small losses’ over even ‘likely potential gains’, especially when there is a perceived risk of a larger loss. For example, someone with an illogical fear of being attacked by a shark may give up the joy [very likely gain] of surfing because of the perceived risks of a being killed by a shark [minuscule chance of happening, less than 1 in 264.1 million]. This natural protective behavior is useful in terms of survival but often can mean missing out on gains that are very much in favor of realizing. It also means an increased likelihood of risky (i.e. non-logical or irrational) behavior to avoid potential loss. Industries & products focused on ‘security’ (Insurance for example) rely on this bias heavily, but the principle has a wide range of implications for all markets and marketing strategies. Whether a transaction is framed as a loss or as a gain is very important to the equation: would you rather get a $5 discount, or avoid a $5 surcharge? The same change in price framed differently has a significant effect on consumer behavior. The ‘receiving a discount’ framing is perceived as less impactful than the frame of ‘avoiding a surcharge’ even when the net result is exactly the same, saving $5 by taking an action. In practice, this means that if we’re offering a discount, we’ll want to also empathize the risk of not taking advantage of the discount (it will go away).
age & experience along can influence ones aversion to loss & risk but on average, most will prefer the safe choice, often over a better choice … ^ Levin, Irwin P., Sandra L. Schneider, and Gary J. Gaeth. "All frames are not created equal: A typology and critical analysis of framing effects." Organizational behavior and human decision processes 76.2 (1998) [2] Shafir, Eldar; LeBoeuf, Robyn A. (2002). "Rationality". Annual Review of Psychology. 53 (1): 491–517. [3] Shafir, Eldar; LeBoeuf, Robyn A. (2002). "Rationality". Annual Review of Psychology. 53 (1): 491–517. Wikipedia contributors. "Loss aversion." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia
73
cognitive biases
COGNITIVE MANIPULATION PART 1
THE BIAS: Prospect Theory & Loss Aversion
here’s what you do
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
Change the Frame, Change the Behavior Building on the concepts of ‘frames’ from our last section we can now look at the different ways we can position ‘loss’ and ‘gains’ in our marketing copy & strategies. Our concerns, as it relates to loss aversion & prospect theory, should be related to the following: [Primary] How can we emphasize the losses to the customer of not taking actions that are in favor of our marketing message? [Secondary] How can we emphasize the gains of taking actions related to our marketing message? Both these frames are useful in different contexts, but as prospect theory & loss aversion have demonstrated the priority emphasis of a given to the things (losses) the reader would like to avoid.
Quick Tactical Ideas to Test & Implement ✓ If you don’t offer a discount or coupon, remove the ‘coupon field’ on your checkout. You don’t want them to feel like they’re losing out on something by not having a discount code.
✓ Modify the language near discounts, bonuses, or special offers. Make sure you’re emphasizing the potential loss of not taking action to get these ‘limited time/availability’ perks.
✓ Implement technology that helps demonstrate urgency/scarcity. E.g. For a booking site, “Only 1 Room Left” is very effective, or for booking a strategy call, list the (small) number of available times left. Use countdown timers if possible, removing the incentives when the timer goes away.
✓ ‘Order Bump’ Offers - add additional one time offers at the checkout that are only available at their discounted right during the checkout process.
✓ Strike-Through Features of lower-priced options that they will not unlock unless they purchase higher tiers. E.g. if you have a basic and premium version of the product, list the ‘premium features’ in the basic column but crossed out.
✓ Language - Review how you position topics, have you highlighted the potential risk of loss? E.g. Instead of stating “Learn How to Write Better” reframe it as “How to Avoid Easy to Miss Writing Mistakes that Are Costing You Sales”.
✓ Lists of Examples - Provide lists of potential risks as they relate to your topic, along with the complimentary benefits of avoiding said risks.
“... the only thing we have to fear is… fear itself — nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.” - Franklin D. Roosevelt
74
cognitive biases
THE BIAS: Prospect Theory & Loss Aversion
COGNITIVE MANIPULATION PART 1
www.getwsodo.com here’s what you do continued… www.getwsodo.com Urgency & Scarcity - On the offer level, we’ll want to design elements that can go away based on urgency or scarcity. For example, we may offer a special bonus or discount that only the first X number of buyers will unlock (scarcity, only a certain number are available). For urgency, we can also offer a bonus or discount for a limited period of time (urgency, time-based perception of loss of benefits). The language (frame) we use to describe what will happen once the number is met, or the time has expired, should primarily make it clear that it is a bad thing for them to miss out on the opportunity. Emphasize the risks to increase ‘risky behavior’. The 2 to 1 benefit to risk ratio - Unless you have more money than you know what to do with all purchases are considered a ‘risk’, and as we’ve discussed our job in our marketing is to ‘dig out of the risk hole’ that is there by default. We need to supply ample evidence that the benefits of purchase more than double the risk of the purchase, while also amplifying the risks involved in not purchasing. Provide overwhelming value. Tackling Illogical Fear - Knowledge & Reframing with a Staged FAQ Section - It’s also clear that there are many misunderstandings about how risky aspects of our offer may be in the minds of our prospects. For example, they may think that the time risk (how much time they need to actually benefit from our offer) is much higher than it is in reality. Or, they may not accurately understand how “good of a deal” they’re actually getting when they purchase. Don’t assume they understand these aspects correctly. Proactively address these ‘miscalculations’ with active objective handling. We should anticipate these concerns (objections) and work to answer them in real-time within our marketing copy. (More on this in ‘Defeating their Demons’ section of A’s of Influence) Another very powerful way to do this is in what we might call a “Staged F.A.Q.” section. In the Staged F.A.Q section, you can list out all the “potential miscalculations of risks” (objections) your audience may have about your product, then, REFRAME them and provide clear information to counter the objection. Example - Hypothetical training course on overcoming a painful personal issue. Question: Doesn’t this take a lot of time to implement before I see results? Answer: [validate concern] This is a very common concern, after all, you’re dealing with these problems now and need help! It’s very important that these painful & destructive issues are addressed quickly, [answer objection] and that’s why we’ve created a ‘Day 1: Fast Action’ quick start section of the training to help you start seeing results right away! While it can take time to see all your desired changes fully manifested in your life, time and time again we’ve seen that it’s worth it! With our fast action section, you’ll start seeing results on day 1, while also having the comfort in knowing that you’re part of a program that’s designed to be sustainable in the long run… [reframe] While it can be tempting to search for a fast (but temporary) solution that will inevitably fail, it’s clear that the best course of action is to invest in a program designed to last for the long haul.
raising the stakes, without fear-mongering You can emphasize the potential of loss without fear-mongering or being overly dramatic. Some copywriters and businesses have taken loss aversion to the extreme. Practically preaching doom and gloom to scare people into buying. Personally, I find this approach to be ethically questionable, and quite frankly lazy. It’s flirting on the edge and often mingling with manipulation, especially when the marketing materials present things that incredibly unlikely to happen as very likely. Don’t be afraid to ‘raise the stakes’ by sharing the real potential risks to your audience, but dig for deeper and more profound issues to explore than just surface-level ‘unlikely’ risks. Let’s say you’re selling an opportunity to start a new kind of business. To me a life of unhappiness and lack of fulfillment is a much more potent and realistic risk than the risk of being stuck in a dead-end job or failing to start your own business. Perhaps it’s a bit more abstract, and risks being less tangible of an argument, but it’s appealing to the universal needs and desires we all can understand. When fine-tuned and well-considered these biases can serve our marketing well, while also inspiring much-needed action & change in our audience.
cognitive biases 75
COGNITIVE MANIPULATION PART 1
impact + frequency + time = winning message
THE BIAS: Mere Exposure www.getwsodo.com Effect / Familiarity Principle www.getwsodo.com Context: There is a tendency to develop a preference for something for no other reason than being familiar with it, it’s been named the ‘mere exposure effect’ (psychology) and is also called the ‘familiarity principle’ (social psychology). Its effect has been observed in relation to everything from paintings (mona lisa) to music to how often someone interacts with another individual. In marketing terms, studies have shown “ that each group exposed to the "test" banner (shown regularly) rated the ad more favorably than other ads shown less frequently or not at all.” (Fang, Xiang; Singh, Surendra; Ahluwalia, Rohini - 2007) Though other studies found that exposure can lead to ambivalence, and “exposure is most likely to be helpful when a company or product is new and unfamiliar to consumers.”
here’s what you do
[1] Fombrun, Charles; Shanley, Mark (1990). "What's in a Name? Reputation Building and Corporate Strategy". The Academy of Management Journal. 33 (2): 233. [2] Brooks, Margaret E; Highhouse, Scott (2006). "Familiarity Breeds Ambivalence". Corporate Reputation Review. 9 (2): 105–113 [3] Wikipedia contributors. "Mere-exposure effect." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.
The practical application of this bias will not only help you create better messaging, but will also help you avoid turning off advertising campaigns too soon. This is a common issue many new entrepreneurs face, they assume their message isn’t working - when in reality they simply haven’t given enough time & frequency in the wild. A conclusion we may draw from this effect is that people often have positive associations with things they’re familiar with… and becoming familiar with something (or someone) results from repeated exposure. A pretty easy bias to grasp, with the ‘illogical’ aspect being that the positive associations can form for no other reason than the exposure. It’s been shown that this isn’t always the case. For instance, if someone already have a negative association with the subject they may not automatically see it as “better” simply from more exposure. For us, in the context of copywriting, I see this bias as a way to capitalize on how we frame the conversation and how we structure our language and tone. In framing, we can associate our topic with things or people that our audience is likely to already have positive associations with. In tone & language structure, we can use repeated exposure to drive home important points, along with the added benefit of increasing the familiarity with our points with repetition.
In the larger scheme of things as related to branding & ad campaigns the ‘mere exposure effect’ also has powerful implications. The more we focus on our singular big ideas and arguments, the more the likelihood of them being perceived positively. “Staying on message” - repeatedly & consistently - is the name of the game. 77
cognitive biases
COGNITIVE MANIPULATION PART 1
continued…
Tone & Language…
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
Anaphora & Epistrophe, “I have a dream…”, & the rule of 3
of note…
There are rhetorical devices (persuasive compositional techniques) related to
My own association of the ‘mere exposure effect’ & these devices is, I’ll admit, more of an observation & thought experiment than anything e l s e . T h e i r a s s o c i a t i o n i s n’ t something I’ve found elsewhere, and I can’t conclusively state that the use of the ‘anaphora’ rhetorical device reliably evokes the ‘mere exposure effect’ biases. However, the sheer volume of the use of anaphora in many of the most powerful speeches in history should be cause for consideration.
the ‘mere exposure effect’ that can give us some ‘tone & language’ structure to work with. The two related devices are termed ‘Anaphora & Epistrophe’ and, without getting too bogged down in their mechanics, basically relate to the repetition of words or phrases in sequence. Anaphora | From the Greek ἀναφέρω, "I repeat". A succession of sentences beginning with the same word or group of words. Epistrophe has the same meaning but is the succession of sentences with the same word or group of words at the end of the sentences. This device doesn’t gain its usefulness solely from the ‘mere exposure effect’. It also seems to just have that magical & melodic impact that is birthed of eloquent repetition. The emphasis on the keywords from that repetition is also important, giving them added weight in our copy.
Let’s take a look at a few examples of it in use, then consider how & where we can use this technique.
I Have a Dream - Martin Luther King Jr. ‣ I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. ‣ I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” ‣ I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. ‣ I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. ‣ I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. ‣ I have a dream today.
A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.”
WWII Speech - Winston Churchill “We shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender.” Mere Exposure Effect / Familiarity Principle
78
cognitive biases
COGNITIVE MANIPULATION PART 1 Mere Exposure Effect / Familiarity Principle
A House Divided - Abraham Lincoln www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
syllogism argument
pathos
context: the national conflict caused by attempting to put an end to slavery.
ethos
^
In my opinion, it will not cease until a crisis shall have been reached and passed. major premise
minor premise
allusion { quote by Jesus Mark 3:25 parallelism { connecting structure A house divided against itself cannot stand. metaphor { forecasting consequences of US during civil war
deduction { specific inference
I believe this government cannot endure, permanently, half slave and half free. hypothesis { statement of belief antithesis { contrasting ideas anaphora { repetition of “I do" I do not expect the Union to be dissolved — I do not expect the house to fall — but I do expect it will cease to be divided. antithesis { contrasting ideas
conclusion
logos
claim { the primary point It will become all one thing or all the other. antithesis { contrasting ideas
Got a little carried away breaking this down… As you can see you can dive DEEP into rhetoric & language. Our main concern in this discussion is anaphora but we’ll explore the other aspects of rhetoric later in this guide.
Tone & Language continued… As I noted I can’t concretely place ‘anaphora’ and ‘mere exposure effect’ squarely in the same realm of influence. The ‘mere exposure effect’ is a bias our brain uses to save us time (it is likely that something we see regularly is safe and therefore positive) and the ‘anaphora’ rhetorical device is a way to organize words. But it’s clear that ‘anaphora’ appeals at the emotional level of our audience, in order to persuade, inspire, motivate, and encourage them… and, to me at least, seems to accomplish this with the same mechanics as ‘mere exposure effect’. Regardless, its application for us is clear- the pleasant and persuasive nature of repetition in language combined with the fact that the repeated exposure to things gives us a positive bias means that we should look for ways to use this in our own writing. On the sales page for this book, I use ‘anaphora’ to emphasize my points, while giving power to the tone of a list of items. I won’t go as far as to say this is poetic, but it definitely has a rhythm to it. I’d say it’s much easier to read then if I were to simply put these lines together in a cohesive paragraph. The number of items also lends the points some credit, the more the better right? What to do: Look for ways to break up your copy into more digestible bits, especially if you’re creating a list of related items. Press yourself to find a rhythmic way to share the related information with ‘anaphora’. Even if this were just for aesthetic reasons it would help you stand out from everyone else, but with an understanding of how these types of literary devices & biases can work together, we can see the reason for use goes beyond just looking & sounding pleasing. Also, look for ways to revisit to your core arguments again and again. In music, this is called ‘the chorus’ and the repetition is designed to drive the piece home. On my sales page for this guide, I continually point back to ‘why copywriting is the #1 most important entrepreneurial skill’ this is a reminder for our reader but also subtly plays into the ‘mere exposure effect’.
Learn what makes your readers heart sing. and compose them a beautiful melody. 79
cognitive biases
COGNITIVE MANIPULATION PART 1 Mere Exposure Effect / Familiarity Principle
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com Framing | Repeated Associations Repeated Associations Many cognitive biases relate to positive or negative associations and ‘mere exposure effect’ is no exception. It does this in a very important way. Bu repeated association of our offer, topic, brand, and message with things/people that our audience already has positive associations will influence their viewpoint. On the other side of the coin, we can continually compare and contrast the counterpoints (or competition) of our offer with things our audience has negative associations with. This builds on the gain/loss aversion we discussed in detail within ‘prospect theory’ and ‘loss aversion’ from our last section, so we won’t cover those specific tactics again. Here we’re mainly concerned with the frequency. in practice - Create a list of associations for your offer… 1.
Identify 3-10 things or people or values that your audience is likely familiar with and has a positive association with.
2.
Identify 3-10 things, people, or values that your audience is likely familiar with and has a negative association with.
3.
Write out how your offer or message relates to the positive items, and how your offer/message is the antithesis of the negative.
Take my topic, copywriting for entrepreneurs, for example. A positive association might be the value of “making money ethically & sustainably”, I can craft a message that associates my offer (this guide) with ethical and sustainable methods. Teaching my audience how my guide is designed to promote growth, while not sacrificing ethics. I can also identify a negative value - “not making sales”, and explain why not following the methods in my guide is the reason why they’re not making sales… elaborating on specific negative habits or actions that likely are holding them back from success. Multiple references to [this thing they already like] + [what I’m selling] + [this thing they don’t like] + [how my offer helps them avoid that] is going to build a compelling argument for why they should buy. Its power is in its simplicity, and with the clear effect of building a new image for our offer in the mind of our reader with positive associations.
Celebrity endorsements are an easy example to point to, however they’re generally out of the reach of the average entrepreneur. ‘Influencer marketing’ is a space you can look to instead. Look for influencers in your own niche and consider affiliate or flat payment promotions.
Clever use of imagery can often say more than words. What ways can you share positive or negative stories with your imagery? 80
cognitive biases
COGNITIVE MANIPULATION PART 1
Mere Exposure Effect / Familiarity Principle
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com The Big Picture of Campaign Building & Staying on Message It’s been shown that an increased frequency of exposure to your message influences your audience in a positive way. We can infer that this happens in a few critical aspects that can help us look at this effect strategically.
It takes an average of 21 impressions of a brand before it’s remembered. - A statistic I remember but can’t find the source for, I’ve probably seen it at least 21 times.
First, mere exposure to our message increases the familiarity of it. That familiarity is a social level of trust, I wouldn’t go as far as to conclude that “just because they know you means they like you”, but more so in the way that you like “your” barista
more than a random one at the coffee shop. You may not even know their name, but you know their smile and are comfortable with them, merely because you see them regularly. It seems that analogy can work for one of the more illogical aspects of this effect as well, you will prefer a barista you don’t particularly like, to the one you don’t particularly know. What this means: Be the barista they know. Tactically be sure to implement retargeting advertising and be ok with increased frequency on individual ads… Not only does the increased frequency of your message exposure and give them more opportunities to buy, but the sheer increase in visibility will also increase the positive association via the familiarity principle. Also, for anyone reading this who also manages their own ads, give your ads more time to build exposure. Often we turn off ads too quickly, without giving them time to build up the frequency (repeated exposure) they need to make an impression (heh).
The Legacy of Your Message What do we want people to remember? Well, the old cliche “people may forget what you said, but they won’t forget how you made them feel” is always my guiding principle from a ‘bigger picture’ perspective. You can’t just rely on ‘repeated exposure’ to win, bashing your audience over the head with a message only goes so far… your message also needs to be impactful in real, practical ways. That being said, why not have both?
IMPACT + FREQUENCY + TIME = WINNING This simple formula works. Got milk? ( started 1993) Just do it. (started 1988) What happens here, stays here. (started 2004) Tastes great, less filling. (1970s) Good to the last drop. (started 1917) Melts in your mouth, not in your hands. (started 1954) Breakfast of Champions. (started in 1927) The nighttime, sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching head, fever so you can get rest medicine. And 15 minutes could save 15% or more on car insurance. 81
cognitive biases
COGNITIVE MANIPULATION PART 1
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
engine fuel Mere Exposure Effect / Familiarity Principle
Biases are an accelerant, not the engine As the slogans on the previous page suggest, once you find a winning message you can run with it for a long time. We don’t always need something profound or catchy (it doesn’t hurt) but we do need something that is clear and easy to understand. One practical way to do this is to think in terms of slogans or tagline for our specific marketing pieces… this is its theme. That theme can be used to unify several different messages or campaigns, and should be founded on a core principle of belief. More on this in future sections of this guide. In the end any and all biases, including the ‘mere exposure effect’, should be learned so they can be used to help support our message. However, these pieces of the puzzle should always live secondary to our core message. They are compliments, not the main driving force… accelerant for the engine that is your central theme. So, if you find yourself looking at all these biases and feeling a bit overwhelmed - don’t worry, a well crafted message can overcome any bias working against you; and very likely is taking advantage of many of the biases that are working in your favor.
Focus FIRST on crafting the most impactful message possible, and let your knowledge of these biases help you refine and build momentum behind that message.
cognitive biases 82
COGNITIVE MANIPULATION PART 1
THE BIAS: Anchoring Bias thousands less than a college degree www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
People are often over-reliant on the first piece of information they hear. For example, a house for sale, set either before or at the start of negotiations, sets an arbitrary focal point for all following discussions. Prices discussed in negotiations that are lower than the anchor may seem reasonable, perhaps even cheap to the buyer, even if the prices are still relatively higher than the actual market value.
how to apply it Knowing that our reader may have preconceived notions about the price of our product/service will move us to create our own anchor comparing our pricing with something they’re familiar with, and which sheds a favorable light on our pricing. Example: “Clearly you can see how valuable this system is for your own business! How much would it cost you to hire a full time employee to do this for you? $50,000, $75,000, $100,000? Even then you could justify the cost couldn’t you? Well we’ve made it much easier, and much much more affordable for you at the low cost of only $2000!” Anchor #1: The price of a new employee [expensive]. Anchor #2: Even at the price of a new employee, you could justify the cost. Other Ways to Apply… • Price comparison chart with our competitors. • Compared to ‘trying to figure it out on your own’. • Opportunity cost of not acting sooner. In person or in writing this bias allows us to help our reader clearly see the value in what we’re selling.
THE BIAS: Bandwagon Effect
join over 10,000 happy customers!
A phenomenon whereby the rate of uptake of beliefs, ideas, fads and trends increases the more that they have already been adopted by others. In other words, the bandwagon effect is characterized by the probability of individual adoption increasing with respect to the proportion who have already done so.
how to apply it Knowing that our reader are influenced by “the crowd” gives us quite a few pieces of ammunition to use in our copy. We want to demonstrate that a.) they’re not alone in taking action, and/or b.) they may be left alone if they don’t take action. This is where the “9 out of 10 dentists agree” phrase was born. In our headlines we can use phrases such as “Most people already know…”, “Thousands Have Figured Out…”, “Join Our 100s of Happy Customers”, “Tried & Tested by Dozens”, “Seen in Case after Case” We’ll want to imply that they’re missing out if they’re not taking action. FOMO if a hell of a drug. Testimonials… Lots of them. All over the place. Tools that show “Richard just signed up!”. Emulate sites like hotels.com where it reports “12 people are viewing this room”. Bottom Line: Demonstrate that they’re not the first or last, and in-fact they’re one of many; or that they could be… if they take action. 84
cognitive biases
COGNITIVE MANIPULATION PART 1
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com THE BIAS: Choice-supportive / Commitment Bias The tendency to retroactively ascribe positive attributes to an option one has selected. if a person chooses option A instead of option B, they are likely to ignore or downplay the faults of option A while amplifying those of option B. Conversely, they are also likely to notice and amplify the advantages of option A and not notice or deemphasize those of option B.
how to apply it
you’ve made a great choice.
Good Move! In general our audience has made a choice to read our copy, buy our stuff, or use our services ~ let’s help them feel positive about it. Buyers remorse kicks in when there isn’t enough reasons to justify the purchase once the initial emotions wane, we must keep reminding them that it was a good decision; especially at hire price points. Ways to apply this principle…
• Before the sale: Near our ‘call to action’ show positive testimonials to reinforce the positive choice they’re about to make.
• After the sale: Use positive language like “Good Job!, Awesome!, Great Choice!” in our follow up emails & in our welcome emails. Also don’t forget to thank them for their purchase, that’s why we call it a thank you page. Appreciation can go a long way to reduce refund rates.
• Unannounced bonuses (usually around the refund period) is a another way to add another positive touch point in the post purchase the follow up. This can be enough to turn a possible refund into a happy customer.
This bias is already built in our favor, keep reinforcing the positive and address any possible negatives quickly.
THE BIAS: Pro-innovation bias
new and improved!
The belief that an innovation should be adopted by whole society without need of alternatives. The innovation’s “champion” has such strong bias in favor of the innovation, that he/she may not see its limitations or weaknesses and continues to promote it nonetheless. Simplified: Here’s awesome innovative thing, everyone should use it, and those who don’t are dumb - even if it has flaws.
how to apply it Our readers often have “shiny object syndrome” so we should polish up our offer by explaining why it’s innovative, new, and exciting. Ways to apply this principle…
• As we share our features and benefits explain why they’re innovative… A simple way to do this is to compare it to the “old way” of doing something or simply state why it’s innovative directly.
• Example: “Our Soda Has Zero Sugar (feature) Which Keeps You Looking Great While Tasting Great (benefit)… We Do This Without the Use of Nasty Sugar Substitutes (Innovation).”
With Our Innovative Blend of Healthy Nutrients
• In our headlines we can literally start with the word innovative - “Innovative New Approach Unlocks Hidden Potential in Lazy People in 3 Simple to Follow Steps.”
• Even if something isn’t innovative to us, it may be to our customer. “Innovative New Devise Lets You Call People
While In Your Car!” For someone who know’s what a cell phone is this isn’t innovative, but if they’ve never heard of one? That’s innovative! 85
cognitive biases
method COGNITIVE MANIPULATION www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
PART 2
principles of
Propaganda
the poison & the antidote
How to (Carefully) Leverage The ‘Dark Twin’ of Marketing To Stand Out in An Ever More Distracted & Apathetic World
Apate·the greek goddess of deception The greek goddess of fraud, deceit, trickery, deception & guile. Cast to the earth where she roamed for millennia sewing havoc and teaching mankind the art of deception. When a lie fails, she has the ability to twist a person's thoughts, to believe what she wants them to believe. 86
7FigureMarketingCopy.com
#4 Copywriting
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
Lead by translation. Distill complexities into everyday language.
Quickie
Your product features may be listed in jargon, but reveal their benefits in language everyone can grasp. Clarity is next to godliness, it’s why the gospel (along with other “tome” texts) is so easy to read, yet so impactful.
“If you can’t explain it to a six year old, you don’t understand it yourself.” – Albert Einstein
You may break this rule to prove a point, you can complicate things to demonstrate the power of simplicity but use with caution. Aim for meaningful simplicity and you’ll hit your mark.
example This breakdown of the features/benefits of the Panasonic GH5s camera is a good example of how to merge features/jargon language with the benefits of those features…
87
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
method
Pain from an old wound. The Perilous But Compelling Method for Conjuring The Most Profound of Emotions In Your Reader
“This device, isn't a space ship. It's a time machine. It goes backwards, forwards. Takes us to a place where we ache to go again.” - Don Draper, Mad Men
88
the pain from an old wound
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com You are happy. The orange clouds dipping with the crest of the sun over the darkening horizon. The sun
You lean into the wind as you pick up your pace, it's time to go. What was that red sweater? You try and
sets, creating room for rest and a chance to examine
shake it, to focus on the beauty of the evening. The
the day. Perhaps you’re on a beach, perhaps you live
hands pick you up, the comfort; you remember that
there or you’re just visiting, but here and now it
feeling of being warm and secure. You pause and look
doesn’t seem to matter how you got there. It is
back to the now turquoise gradient of the horizon.
beautiful. At the moment the sun vanishes from the
Then it hits you. It wasn’t here where you’ve been
horizon you take a deep breath. Relaxed. But, seemingly flowing from the now greying horizon you
before, it was halfway across the world. You were small, just a child, maybe 5 or 6.
feel something else. It can only be described as an onset of a dull, waxing, pain… a sense of dread? No, not exactly. It’s a bitter-sweet taste. At the edge of your eye you feel a touch of a tear, in your gut a sudden tightening, the edges of your lips furl as if forcing down a harsh sobbing cry. The moment passes. You take a deep breath. What a strange feeling, you think, a pulse of raw emotion crawling up from depths of the past. So distant you can’t even place it with a specific memory. But it’s real.
You’ve been here before. Maybe it was a crash of a wave, the softening contrast of water to sky, or something as small as the combination of salty air and grains of sand on your feet. But you know this place. You turn your body from parallel with the horizon to following it and begin to walk, arms crossed, what is it? What is this feeling? Where did it come from?
didn’t give you that red sweater. But it was someone you loved. Your grandpa. Yes! You remember! The tightening of your gut returns, your lips almost give way this time to a wrenching sob. It’s all you can do but to fall to your knees and howl… so you settle for the fall. It’s not even that you miss him, you do, but it’s more. You miss the comfort of knowing it’s all going to be ok. The feeling of being held, not holding up the world. You miss that lost perspective as much as anything else. You grab the soft sand, you stand. The pain slows, and at the same time, somehow you feel the warmth of the red sweater, your red sweater. You feel a sudden comfort, you smile. He always could make you smile, no matter how much you protested. You take another deep breath and close your eyes, enjoying the glimpse of that feeling, the coolness of the night fades into a warm glow in your chest. The bittersweetness of this
The coolness of the evening breeze hits you. A flash of
moment leaves you with something new, and yet,
a warm red sweater crosses your field of internal vision. It’s small. You shake your head and continue
something unquestionably old.
walking. The red sweater wraps around you, brought by a hand, a big hand. A friendly hand.
You’ve been here before. 89
The hands, someone you love, mom? Dad? No… they
This is nostalgia. A word that was born from the Greek words Nostos (return home) Algos (pain). It’s that feeling triggered by sometimes www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com undefinable things in the present that help us to revisit our past. A return home, revisiting a world where we held a different perspective on the world around us. One, perhaps, with less pain and more joy. Moments we now perceive as pure, but at the time may have just seemed ordinary. It’s why a sunset can be beautiful and sorrowful. It’s revisiting the subtext of our lives. We all know its power because we have all experienced it. It’s the reason why when you return to the town of your youth the first thing you do is find an excuse to drive by your childhood home. Somethings there, you’re not sure what, but you’re looking for it.
Emotionally charged, rose-colored, and deeply personal revisionist history of our own experience of the world, nostalgia is looking through the window of the mind into a
I’m revisiting the introduction of this section on Nostalgia because I truly struggled with understanding it, both in marketing terms, and just - in terms of life. I dragged my feet to my desk in the mornings as I put the following pages together. It’s not that I didn’t know the mechanics,
past that probably never
I’ve used ‘nostalgia’ in my copy many times, I just wasn’t as comfortable with the topic as others in this section.
it might have been.
I think it’s because it’s such a universal experience. One that is so important to understanding the context of our life as it relates to the past. The other cognitive biases or elements of human nature explored in previous section are very, well, simple - our brains do weird things with information, and marketing can tap into those things. Easy enough to understand. But this, nostalgia, it’s a whole different matter. It’s asking people to revisit very powerful and influential emotions. I believe we as marketers, and just humans in general, need to use it with the utmost respect. Understanding that it can be a heavyweight we’re lifting on the shoulders of our readers.
was but absolutely feels like A seamless blend of memory and fantasy, nostalgia is a near-perfect drug. Which is why it’s such a potent tool. - John Romaniello Author ‘Once Upon a Sale’
Many of the marketing campaigns that center on nostalgia today treat it light-heartedly. They throw in a stylized font, some retro-sounding music, and some memorable oneliners from shows or movies long gone; and it creates a fun throwback to the past. But that’s just pandering in hopes of positive association. It can be effective, but it’s also a lazy way to utilize the power of nostalgia. We, as copywriters, can give this ‘feeling’, this experience, so much more. The following pages explore the mechanical means of how this ‘nostalgia effect’ works, and we’ll look specifically at techniques you can use in branding & writing. But, keep in mind, if you truly desire to make an impact in your audience’s life you must use nostalgia with respect for its universal ability to influence emotions in unique ways. Use it well and you can wield great influence, use it without respect and you’re just another person exploiting emotions for personal gain. 90
Don Draper On Nostalgia www.getwsodo.com Watch (3 minutes) the full scene here: https://link.sean.co/mm-scene www.getwsodo.com Client 1: So have you figured out a way to work the wheel into it. Client 2: We know it's hard because wheels aren't really seen as exciting technology even though they are the original. Don Draper: Well, technology is a glittering lure. But there is the rare occasion when the public can be engaged on a level beyond flash. If they have a sentimental bond with the product. My first job I was in-house at a fur company with this old pro copywriter Greek named Teddy… Teddy told me the most important idea in advertising is new. It creates an itch. You simply put your product in there as a kind of, calamine lotion. He also talked about a deeper bond with the product... Nostalgia. - It's delicate… but Potent. Teddy told me that in Greek, nostalgia literally means the pain from an old wound. It's a twinge in your heart. Far more powerful than memory alone. This device, isn't a space ship. It's a time machine.
ive
ect p s r e ge P
It goes backwards, forwards. Takes us to a place where we ache to go again. It's not called the wheel. It's called the carousel. Let's us travel the way a child travels. Around and around, and back home again. A place... where we know where loved.
lgia
ta Nos
han
C Can
Good luck at your next meeting. [end scene] … drop mic.
The Nostalgia Effect
how the brain processes nostalgia
Context: In cognitive terms reminiscing about the past has been shown to leave us wanting to spend more now. Nostalgia weakens our desire to hold onto our money, instead fostering social connectedness. (Lasaleta, Sedikides & Vohs (2014) Nostalgia weakens the desire for money. Journal of Consumer Research.) Why? According to the study’s authors there seems to be links between nostalgia, social connections, and one's desire for money. The process of rekindling fond memories activates pro-social behavior, and seemingly gives priority to these vs. monetary concerns. It’s the moment in the story where the darker aspects of a hero or villain are stayed by a reminder of who they really are, what they stand for, revisiting their days of aspiration. Removing the ‘darkness’ of the current world and changes the motives of the individual from destructive to productive. The redemption moment. (Think - Star Wars - Darth Vader turning on the Emperor after being reminded A Less Known Redemption Moment In the short story, “Thank the Maker!” published in Star Wars Tales #6, C-3PO reawakened some of the good buried within Darth Vader, during the events of The Empire Strikes Back.
of who he was, and what he used to stand for, by his son.) From a more literary Nostalgia is also engaging, comforting, and thought provoking. As Don Draper puts it, delicate, but potent. It’s been used successfully by brands & politicians alike to leverage our seemingly constant desire to return to ‘the good old days’. For us the importance of this bias is clear, but let’s look at specific ways to apply it in our copy & marketing. 91
revisiting
how to apply it
the past with rose www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com colored glasses
REMEMBER when? when?
often makes the present more pleasant
nostalgia is a moment of magic a brief retelling of a story that can never again be fully experienced. It’s clear that nostalgia is a power frame of reference tool we can use in our writing. Besides the finding that while it's being experienced experiencing we literally have our ‘desire to hold onto money’ weakened, there’s the common sense observation that feeling nostalgic just feels delightful.
“The past is safe because it is completely predictable. Connecting with the past through familiar, loved brands transports people to another time by evoking the same feelings they experienced so long ago.” - Gregory Carpenter Professor of Marketing Strategy & Director of Kellogg Markets and Customers Initiative
The things that trigger us to revisit ‘the good old days’ in our memory hold special places in our lives… a fact that everyone from advertisers to Movie Studios have been taking advantage of for a very long time. The billions of dollars raked in annually from movie reboots
proven effects of nostalgia
and films that specifically pander to the nostalgia of the past are proof enough of its effectiveness. Everyone seems to be on the nostalgia train. But is it just for big budget companies with money to
enhanced positive self regard provide existential meaning
increased social connectedness
improved mood
promote psychological growth
& likely
increased sales
burn? Let’s look at how us “small guys” can utilize nostalgia in our own copy & marketing. There are two key ways: with visuals & music, and with the, again, with how we frame our message. First let’s look at the two levels in our marketing where nostalgia is useful, even for small business & upstart entrepreneurs.
Level 1: At The Company & Product Level Demographic Target Specific Branding
&
Level 2: At the Campaign Level The Throwback & The Touchstones
THE BIAS: Nostalgia Effect
92
LEVEL 2
product branding
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
LEVEL 1
company branding
LEVEL 3
campaigns
demographic target specific branding Nostalgia Level 1&2 At The Company & Product Level We’ll touch on nostalgia at the branding level only briefly since it’s more likely that you’ll want to take advantage of its usefulness at the campaign level. There is a case to be made for using nostalgia at the brand level, and a case for avoiding its use. IF your offer has a very specific target audience age range, a specific generation that you only want to target, the brand level ‘nostalgia’ route may be a good choice. Most copywriting strategies, however, are at the campaign level, but it’s good to have an understanding of why a company might have a nostalgia based brand, especially if you write copy as service. We’re not just talking logos & taglines here, we’re talking about the core mission of the business itself. The advantage of a nostalgic approach to your brand is that you’re able to connect emotionally with a very specific audience. But the risk, of course, is alienating everyone else that doesn’t “get the reference” of your nostalgic branding.
Branding, Heritage, & a Shared History Companies like Coco-Cola, for example, often calls back to its heritage at the highest levels of its marketing & branding, but it also isn’t afraid to use specific campaigns to target nostalgia of different generations. “Heritage” being the keyword here, if your company has a long history with an interesting story, then the nostalgia frame might also be a great place to start. Another approach that works well is associating your brand with the ‘heritage’ of an idea, value, cuase, or belief system. If your market is, for example, is a specific religion, highlighting your shared heritage of that religion in your branding is an effective approach. Again, at the “business branding” level ‘nostalgia’ should be used with caution and with a real consideration of its implications… However, at a specific product branding level certain products can benefit from being branded with the nostalgia ‘rose colored’ tint. This can commonly be seen in food & beverage products (think wine labels). ‘Vintage’ design does well to project both a link to the past, and a well established (and therefore reliable) presence. Put Simply: At the company level consider nostalgic branding elements when you target only one core demographic. At product level consider using nostalgic branding especially in the case of physical products or services that deal heavily with ‘security’ or one core demographic.
Remembers “Remember what’s good" see the ad
https://link.sean.co/pfr
Nostalgia Insights • Nostalgia marketing influences emotions in ways that influence purchase decisions. • Nostalgia is “time dependent”, the shared experience of a selected time period generally* selects the demographic. • * Generally because, in some cases a future generation can appreciate a nostalgic association from a past generation. Example: resurgence of Polaroid Cameras & Vinyl Records among millennials.
For most, the branding level is going to remain the area of the ‘here & now’ and/or ‘the future’. “New and innovative” are also powerful frames, and should likely be prioritized. The area where most will leverage nostalgia is at the ‘campaign level’. 93
#6 Copywriting
www.getwsodo.com Fonts www.getwsodo.com
style and design matter. When in doubt aim for legibility and simplicity.
Quickie
If your copy can sell from a plain word document imagine how much better will do when it’s all dressed up in a well-balanced design. Design should complement your words, bringing focus to your main points and play ……….…… with the flow ……..……..…….. of your message to engage the reader.
Even though there are many rules behind capturing great design, it is often a “know it when I see it” art. If it feels unbalanced or “off”, that’s because it is. Just like great music is known when it’s heard. The best musicians don’t start with a full orchestra too compose, they start with a few simple keys on the piano and build from there.
Similarly, as we are placing our copy into the design - start with simple and slowly ramp up the complexity if needed.
T
Typography is the craft of endowing human language with a durable visual form.” - Robert Bringhurst, The Elements of Typographic
98
method
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
Craft Key Points With Community Arbitrage How to Harness The Power of Community to Create Lists of Benefi t’s That Your Leads Actually Care About
99
Comm
unity
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
Arbitr age
"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it*." — Harper Lee (To Kill a Mockingbird) * ew. way to be overdramatic Harper Lee.
2400 words. That’s the number of words an average person writes per day (based on a stat I just made up). I'm sure there's a stat out there somewhere, but you don't need a specific number to know just how important writing is to our daily lives. Most people write with the goal of accomplishing tasks, without much thought to the structure or deeper meaning behind the words… This lack of attention to not just what you’re saying, but HOW you’re saying it is dangerous. It can be the difference between closing a deal and failing; and that failure might just serve as the catalyst for you giving up. Ok maybe that’s just as dramatic as Harper’s reference to crawling into someone's skin, but you get the point. I'm sure you send at least one piece of writing out daily that is critical to the success of your business or goals. It could be a simple email to your team trying to get them to use the frickin' CRM you paid out the rear for, or it may be to a customer asking them (nicely) to send over payment for services rendered. Even some of the more important pieces of writing we do, say an email to 100,000 person email list, can be scratched out in a whim without any real thought to who’s actually reading it.
Granted, much of what we write isn't all that significant, but there are key pieces that really deserve extra attention. One of the most critical for entrepreneurs to consider is marketing copy... copy that, as entrepreneurs, is the life-blood of every sale every dollar - we make. Even if you're not an entrepreneur (yet) I'm sure you've seen awesome marketing copy in action. We've all purchased a course, bought a book, invested in a mastermind, based on eloquently crafted marketing copy… whether we’d like to admit it or not. One of the most practical ways I know to improve ones writing is to get into the head of my reader (not literally, Mrs. Harper Lee)... study their pains, recognize their fears, muse on their desires. It's not easy to slip into someone else's swimsuit, it doesn't always fit right - and sometimes their style just makes no sense to us. BUT, it's a key part (if not the key part) of creating writing that drives action. ... and we can't do any of that without one key emotion.
EMPATHY. 100
The Key To Understanding
Empathy.
www.getwsodo.com Yes empathy is the emotion we need to connect www.getwsodo.com with people we love, while also the same emotion we can use to better understand why our idiot boss made the ridiculous decision to hire Tammy. It's a powerful emotion and a foundation of persuasion... (key) You can't persuade someone effectively if they don't feel like you understand them first. Here's what Siri told me when I asked my iPhone what empathy was... "Empathy is the capacity to understand or feel what another person is experiencing from within their frame of reference, that is, the capacity to place oneself in another's position. There are many definitions for empathy that encompass a broad range of emotional states. Types of empathy include cognitive empathy, emotional empathy, and somatic empathy.” - Neat! [tactical advice] How do we explore empathy with our "target audience" (kinda hate that term) - and what separates those who truly understand their plight and joys vs. those who "just don't get it"? First off — just remember, everyone has empathy; well except psychopaths. It's the cringy pain you feel for the subject of Michael Scott's nonsense on NBC's The Office... It's the joy you feel for a close friend who finally accomplished that lifetime goal of publishing a book (Joy right, not envy? Yes joy.) In short, everyone has it to give; and everyone desires it from others. Secondly, specifically to the point of writing copy, we can use what I like to call the ‘Community Arbitrage” research method that I’ve put together for you to follow — this method is going to help you “climb inside the skin*” of your audience... * seriously such a weird metaphor. Use this list to create hyper-converting copy for your marketing. Add it to sales pages, email’s, registration pages, Advertisements, you name it. 101
Bullet Points Summarize What Matters Most To Your Reader.
Key Term: “Bullet Point” www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
Before we dive into this method we need to understand one critical term as it relates to copywriting. That term is “bullet point”. In most writing the ‘bullet point’ is used to summarize or collect a list of related points; with copy they’re used similarly but with one key difference. The focus of the bullet points aren’t so much summation of information as they are a collection key benefits to the reader. They can be a collection of features as well, but it’s important that each feature have a clear benefit attached.
✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Bullet points are your headlines best friend. They summarize key features and benefits. They guide your reader down the page. They’re great for reaffirming the headline’s claims. They can contain open hooks and calls to action. and so much more…
Bullet Point Formula (Feature) + (Benefit) + (Benefit of that benefit) for example… ๏ KEEP THEM ON YOUR PAGES LONGER!
Bounce rates are a good indication of how engaging your content is, boost engagement with these specifically engineered questions to instantly increase your conversion rates!
Bullets can also serve as a hook. For example this webinar page contains a list of curiosities that open a loop in the readers minds. These open loops are only get closed if the reader actually attends the training. If the goal is to entice rather than to summarize then you can forgo the wordiness that comes with feature/benefit/ benefit of benefit structure and stick with simple, straightforward, hooks.
102
Question: How can we explore EMPATHY with our audience? www.getwsodo.com One way is to examine Amazon reviews. May seem like a strange place to www.getwsodo.com start, but follow these steps experience the power of an authentic, heartfelt review of a book related to our niche.
Step #1
Step #2
Go to amazon.com's book section and select the niche of your product. Sort by best sellers or featured. Find a book that closely relates to your product or copy topic.
Below our book is the reviews section, by default these are sorted by “most helpful” which is great because we’re going to ‘crowd source’ our search for features and benefits. We’re wanting to highlight “interesting” parts of the review, we’re trying to identify what made it so helpful to other readers. You can even copy the top 10 or so reviews into a document and highlight key points.
For this example we’ll be writing copy for a product in the self help niche. 103
Community Arbitrage www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
Breaking down our review into key components. Here I’ve highlighted in yellow the points that speak to the inner dialog of the reader, things they may personally be doing or not doing. In red are the points that pull on the emotions of the reader.
Step #4
Now we want to extract the “essence” of the points as they apply to our (self help) product. This can apply to both headlines and bullet points, or heck even a full piece.
“I've put my personal growth on the back burner for entirely too long.”
Bullet
Statement
Step #3
• Feel like you’ve put your personal growth on the back •
burner for too long? Our program helps you prioritize what really matters, without costing you all your free time.
104
Community Arbitrage www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
More example components from the review…
• Creating valuable relationships is difficult at any age; learn how shifting your focus to improving yourself can serve as a magnet for attracting new positive relationships into your life!
•
Ever feel that ‘something must be wrong with me’? You’re not alone, learn how to identify specifi c parts of “the self destruction” puzzle that contribute to these feelings, and how to conquer them!
•
Learn how to effectively overcome the habit of ‘blaming others’ for your problems; allowing you to rebuild broken relationships, unblock positive momentum, and stop the cycle of self destruction.
•
Tired of collecting self help books, expensive therapists, and the ‘pharma-fix’ gauntlet of antidepressants? You’ll experience in our training one of “the easiest” solutions that most avoid even attempting!
Our bullet points can be short and to the point, or longer to expand upon the idea. Keep in mind that there are no hard set rules on any of this except: If it’s true, and it’s a benefit to the reader, it’s worth sharing. 105
Community Arbitrage www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
Headline
Connecting the dots…
“A [Uniquely Powerful] Approach To [Overcoming Self Sabotage], And Why Many Have Embraced The Unique Strategy of ‘Self Command’. ”
Bullets
[Soft CTA / Sub Headline] Register for Today’s Free Training to Finally Learn… [Bridges the gap between headline & Bullet points]
•
Creating valuable relationships is difficult at any age; learn how shifting your focus to improving yourself can serve as a magnet for attracting new positive relationships into your life!
•
Ever feel that ‘something must be wrong with me’? You’re not alone, learn how to identify specifi c parts of “the self destruction” puzzle that contribute to these feelings, and how to conquer them!
•
Learn how to effectively overcome the habit of ‘blaming others’ for your problems; allowing you to rebuild broken relationships, unblock positive momentum, and stop the cycle of self destruction.
•
Tired of collecting self help books, expensive therapists, and the ‘pharma-fix’ gauntlet of antidepressants? You’ll experience in our training one of “the easiest” solutions that most avoid even attempting!
[Hard CTA] Click Here to Register/Download/Buy & Unlock Your Full Potential
106
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
Community Arbitrage bullet point exercise… ๏ Based on the above image write one “feature/benefit/b.o.b. bullet point” for this camera gimbal*. Look up similar products on Amazon & read the reviews. ๏ Consider the following questions… ๏ What’s one feature that would catch the attention of the potential buyer. ๏ How could that feature make their life easier compared to not having it? or. How can that feature improve the quality of their work? ๏ How can “making their lives easier” benefit them?
feature list example ๏ ๏
Feature Lists Have Their Place - Especially In Physical Products Notice that they simply don’t provide any context on why the feature is important or matters to the reader.
benefit list example ๏
Much better at explaining “why” the feature matters, but still missing some key benefit pieces.
* camera gimbal: link.sean.co/ca-eg1
107
#5 Copywriting
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
Grammar matters… but not that much.
Quickie
“A synonym is a word you use when you can’t spell the other one.” – Baltasar Gracián
Learn a functional grasp of grammar, and when in doubt, hire an editor. But don’t forget, marketing copy isn’t about perfecting parts of speech as much as it is about getting the point across, and many times that core function will override form. Similar to how spoken language often isn’t grammatically correct, “Casual” is ok if your audience is casual. Google searches a doctoral dissertation and you will see what a grammatically correct but tedious piece of writing looks like. As much as selling and marketing are about informing our audience, it’s also about doing so in a way that doesn’t distance them with formalities. Below is the open source (free) version of Elements of Style by William Strunk. A great place to start for any would-be grammar nut, and great advice even for those (like myself) who could use some brushing up…
https://link.sean.co/elements 108
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
“There are times when the ocean is not the ocean-not blue,
not even water, but some violent explosion of energy and
danger: ferocity on a scale only gods can summon. It hurls
itself at the island, sending spray right over the
top of the lighthouse, biting pieces off the
cliff. And the sound is a roaring of a
beast whose anger knows no limits. Those are the nights the light is needed most.”
― M. L. Stedman - The Light Between Oceans
method
know. like. trust. challenge. convert. Getting people to Know, Like & Trust You is the foundation of a sale, but there’s more to do if you want to close the deal.
109
Know Like Trust Challenge Convert www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com Getting people to Know, Like & Trust You is the foundation of a sale, but there’s more to do if you want to close the deal.
Selling is a lot like dating, but with less sexual tension (ideally).
You’ve probably heard the “know like trust” sales terminology before, and it’s an extremely important step in making a sale. There’s a simple way to accomplish all three, and that’s to teach your prospect something that helps them to get a desired result. Email is perfect for this, but the principle applies anywhere. Our goal is to get them to see you, hear you, and get to experience the positive results you share. First let’s cover some way’s to get your audience to… Know You: It’s clear that people don’t just buy based on the facts and figures. There is a lot of emotion involved in a purchase, especially as the price gets higher. Your story is actually important to WHY you’re selling what you’re selling - if you or your product can connect on a personal level with the customer, you win. Like You: Don’t be afraid to show a little humor. We’re naturally drawn to the right kind of humor, and it never hurts to keep things entertaining while you’re teaching. Also, sharing personal stories that you can wrap into the teaching, is a perfect way to find a common ground with your audience. Trust You: Don’t be afraid to share your successes. If you’d rather have others share them for you, video testimonials are a fantastic way to do this. Note: challenge and convert are the last two steps… more on that later. If you accomplish this by the end of the first set of email follow up, or each individual email for that matter, you’re on your way to the sale. The second half of this process is where a lot of people drop the ball, and it’s often not given enough attention in the sales process. Action Item: When you put together a marketing piece, ask yourself, “What are some relatable attributes of myself or my brand that would bring my reader into my world?” 110
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
Principle: Never underestimate peoples ability to change their minds if you guide them to their “promise land”.
Challenge Accepted.
As we’ve discussed, many people assume that the
Ok great, they’re on the list of possible hires. Then
best of the best sales reps are those who focus on
someone comes in and says; “You don’t need a
building close personal relationship with the
website, you need an online lead generation funnel!”.
customer. Logically it makes sense that the better
They go on to teach you what a lead generation
the relationship we have with the customer, the
funnel is, how it works, and how it can add X
more likely we are to make a sale.
amount of leads per month to your business, increasing potential revenues $Y amount per
While this is true to a certain point, they found
month. You see, you thought you needed a
that the best of the best are those who CHALLENGE
traditional website, and the “solution” providers
their prospects perspective on the problem, and
catered to what you thought you needed, where as
offered an alternative problem and solution to the
the “challenger” actually taught you what you
REAL problem; along with guiding them through
really needed and sold you the potential results.
the buying process.
We need to be the last vendor, challenging leads
For example, let’s say you want to hire someone to
on what they THINK they need, and selling them
build a website for your business. You have a
the right solution to the right problem. This
pretty good idea of what you want on your
mindset change is called a “eureka moment,” and
website, a home page with a mission statement,
almost always results in a closed deal.
an about page, a contact page - you know, all the traditional pages you see on business websites.
Action Item: When you put together a marketing
You talk to a few vendors who tell you some price
piece, ask yourself, am I challenging my customer
points, and their impeccable record with
to think differently about their problem?
customers.
111
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
“The Benefit of The Benefit”
Principle: Sell Insights, Not Solutions This builds on the challenge and convert principle. As noted above, customers are generally wrong with what they think they need. Our job as a “solutions provider” is to convince them that our product or service is actually what they need. Once we’ve challenged them on what they think, and provided a eureka moment, it’s time to close the deal with the ‘benefit of the benefit’.
You don’t have to say, “Imagine having more leads so that you could have more money and more time to spend with your family.” The customer’s imagination will do that for you, all by saying a few magic words - “Imagine what more leads could mean for you and your business.” “Teach to Transform to Transact.” Our email series is riddled with these subtle imagination triggers, whether it’s through testimonials sharing their results and the results of those results, or directly asking people to imagine the results, we draw our audience into an emotional state that’s going to help close the deal. People don’t buy because of facts and figures, they buy because of emotion.
Going back to the “lead generation funnel” sales vendor example above, he first provided an alternative path to the results the business actually needs. They don’t need a home, about, or contact website - they need a website that generates real leads. Then he explained the benefits, more leads and revenue for the business. We can take this one step further with ‘the benefit of the benefit’.
How to apply these principles in your business. You may not go and build a seven figure, four video launch sequence for your product or service, but you can take these principles and apply them into your sales presentations, your pitches, and your online marketing. If you add these principles into your sales pages, emails, and videos you will see an increase in conversions.
Infomercials do this almost comically: “Tired of being rejected at the bar because of your bad hairline!? It’s time you got the attention you deserved by buying XYZ hair growing product!”. The benefit of the benefit here is stopping rejection at the bar. They’re not selling a hair product, they’re selling a confidence product. Answer this question: What are you really selling? Sell that, not your solution. We don’t have to be so over the top - but back to our example - all the vendor has to do now, is plant the idea of what extra leads could do for a business and the owner...
Armed with this knowledge, go look at what sales tools you currently have in your business. Chances are most of them are missing elements of the above principles.
Next: 112
Know, Like, Trust, Challenge Convert Campaign
Email Templates -www.getwsodo.com Email #1
www.getwsodo.com Email #1 - Know Email - Answer These Questions to Brainstorm Email 1 Who are they getting to know? This can be yourself, your brand, your product… or even “themselves” (more on this in Method 8). Usually it’s all of the above.
Subject: Welcome, you’re gonna love this…
Why should they be excited about getting to know you? This isn’t just about your accomplishments, it’s more-so about projecting the benefits of getting to know you.
Over the next couple of emails we’re going to dive deep into how you can massively boost your businesses traffic, leads, and sales through the wildly popular marketing tools available online...
What about you will help them to accomplish their goals? Often this is related to case studies of how you’ve helped others, but can also relate to mistakes the reader has probably made that you have solved for yourself and/or others. When did you get started in your industry? Giving context is important. Your story, when told in relation to the readers situation, can go a long way to creating a strong connection. What events lead up to you getting started in your industry? What were you tired of, what got you excited, and how did it drive you to where you are now? Add call to action… In the example to the right I’m selling them on watching the video, not the product. Add cliffhanger... (after you answer the questions about email #2) Open a loop to the next email.
Body: Thanks for signing up to get the 7x conversion boot camp! Don’t worry, we’re not going to be making you do any push ups...
BEFORE we dive into the tools and amazing techniques that will change the way you look at generating results online, it’d be a good idea for us to get to know each other a bit better! My name’s Sean Vosler, and I’m a lot like you - for one, I consider myself ‘just a normal guy’ who just happens to be really good at generating traffic, leads, and sales for my businesses... mostly online, and for the most part automating the process so I can focus on the things I love in my life... Mainly my lovely wife, my little boy Ren - (and a crazy corgi named Roo - but that’s a whole other story...) It’s important to me that you understand the importance of knowing what to focus on FIRST when marketing online, I’ve seen first hand why it seems like 90% of online marketing efforts fall flat on their face... and it’s ALL about focus. GRAB A PEN AND PAPER AND SET ASIDE 5 MINUTES FOR THIS VIDEO (don't make fun of my awesome hat ;) Click Here to learn all about the importances of Focus and how harnessing it is the first step in creating any long term business success… [5 min video] Trust me, you’ll be happy you set aside a few minutes to spend with me on this video. Some might consider this approach somewhat simplified, but that’s the beautiful thing about this method. It’s the number one mental factor that’s helped me build several 7 figure businesses over the years. Check Out The Video Here! Thanks again, Sean Vosler PS. now that you know a little about me, why don’t you tell me a little bit about yourself on our Facebook wall? Click Here and tell me all about your business and your life! PPS. tomorrow I’m going to shoot over a quick note about ‘the small business problem’, something that if most businesses knew about when they started they’d be much closer to a 6 or even 7 figure business… keep an eye out - Or better yet add [email protected] to your email contacts! 114
Email Templates -www.getwsodo.com Email #2
www.getwsodo.com Email #2 - Like Email - Answer These Questions to Brainstorm Email 2 What people or organizations do you like to associate yourself with? What principles and values do you like to be associated with? Where did you grow up and how did it affect your current views on business? What do you enjoy most about your business? (in context of your customers) Add cliffhanger... [open loop]
Subject: the small business problem In my last email we got to know each other a bit better, and we talked about the #1 thing you need to focus on FIRST in any business venture. But there’s a problem... we’ll really it’s a problem with small businesses in general today. Whether you run your own business or work for someone in their business, there is one universal truth when it comes to a businesses success.. A business isn’t a business without SALES. Before I understood this concept fully I seemed to be lost in a sea of questions. Mostly: “what’s the next step to success that I’m missing”? I felt lost, confused, and had a lot of anxiety around what the ‘next step’ should be. I felt frozen… but once I shifted my focus to SALES, all the pieces started to come together. Nowadays I absolutely LOVE working with people who shift their focus to sales, why? It’s incredibly satisfying to help someone refine their sales techniques and watch their business boom. I’m sure you’d agree that there’s nothing better than watching others reach their goals with your product or service. Now, if your business isn’t making sales, you’re not going to see next year, maybe not even next month. Even if it is, if you’re killing yourself trying to get the sale - you’re going to get burnt out FAST leading to the same result... a failed business. I’m a big believer in once you understand a problem it’s your responsibility to take the steps to fix it... to find the solution! So what’s the “traffic, leads, and sales” solution? Hate to leave you with a cliffhanger but the solution is a WHOLE email in itself... keep an eye on your inbox for tomorrow's email… Don’t worry I’m not going to leave you empty handed: For now check out this quick video I shot for you covering the two thing’s you need to do before you start working about sales… Click here! Thanks again, Sean Vosler Ps. have you had a chance to check out our community of entrepreneurs and small business owners? We’ve also added a ton of great training (we’re talking $5k worth) just for our members... You should check it out here... now :) (btw we also have exclusive pricing you’re only going to find in these emails! Click here for more details) 115
Email Templates -www.getwsodo.com Email #3
www.getwsodo.com Email #3 - Trust Email - Answer These Questions to Brainstorm Email 3 What are some personal details they would find interesting about you? Who do you associate yourself within the industry? How have you helped others to be successful? How has your income generated through your own methods helped you live a more fulfilling life? Add cliffhanger [open loop]...
Subject: Sleeping on the tennis court Life throws some interesting curve balls in our path doesn’t it? I’m sure we could sit around a camp fire together and share some doozies. It doesn’t seem that long ago that I found myself literally sleeping on a tennis court because I didn’t have the means to live anywhere else at the time. Thank goodness that wasn’t a long term arrangement... I’m now blessed with a 7 figure business that provides me with the ability to help individuals grow their business to the size they need it to be… You see, it’s not about how much you or your business is generating, it’s about generating the amount you need to accomplish your goals, and more importantly, be happy. The number is different for everyone. One of the first steps anyone needs to make to generate more income is to simply… realize money is a TOOL, nothing else. This can be a big mindset adjustment for some. Once you realize this you’re heading in the right direction of building a solid foundation for your business. The reason I’m telling you this in this email is that I’d like your thoughts on what makes a business succeed. On the bottom of this site we have a section where you can share your thoughts with me, and others, on what you believe really makes a business successful - Click Here to share your thoughts. Tomorrow I’m going to share Sarah’s story with you... Chances are, you’re probably in the same boat as she is. Until then, Cheers! Sean Vosler
116
Email Templates -www.getwsodo.com Email #4 www.getwsodo.com
Email #4 - Challenge Email - Answer These to Brainstorm Email 4
What are some industry assumptions that you’ve proved wrong with your business / product / service? What has driven your success that is contrary to popular belief? What is the #1 problem facing your customers business? How did you find the answer to that problem? What unrecognized needs do your customers have? What is the REAL problem your customer has that they don’t know about? How are you going to guide them to the solution? Add cliffhanger... [open loop]
Subject: Sarah’s Story Hello again, Sean here - if you’re having a stressful day maybe this story will help... Let me tell you a little story about a woman named “Sarah”. Sarah was really good at making websites - so good in fact, she decided instead of working for a company building them she would strike out on her own! She’d quit the 9 to 5 and fast-track her way to building her own website building empire, or just simply not have a crazy boss anymore. One problem, though she had orders coming in, she constantly had to worry about every other side of her the business that she really didn’t consider when she started... She became the accountant, the customer support manager, the sales and marketing director, and oh yea, the web designer! Before too long, she realized that she had exchanged the 9am to 5pm job for the 5am to 9pm job... Not a fun place to be! With all these other responsibilities she started to see sales decline - she just didn’t have the time to focus on lead generation for her business... She simply didn’t have the tools in place to generate traffic and leads for her business. Chances are you’ve experienced this to some measure. I know early on this was a big issue I faced in my business. Ultimately it lead me to make huge changes in the way I run my business. I started to look at people in similar businesses as mine, and living the lifestyle that I wanted to live. I started diving into the training they offered and worked diligently to change the way I look at and run my business. In my first couple emails we focused on the importance of ‘sales’, but as Sarah’s familiar story illustrates; the systems after the sale need to be solid so that you can scale your business WITHOUT burning yourself out. SO here’s your challenge - take a look at your business from 40,000 feet. If you were on the outside looking in - what would YOU change right now to make your business? Would it be one of the following? - boosting traffic to your website to generate more leads? - optimizing your lead funnels to generate more sales? - simply finding the right sources for leads? - sifting through the countless methods of generating leads & focusing on the right ones for your business? The traditional mindset on for business is to simply POWER THROUGH the problems. Where what you really need to do is systematize your business. This is what 100% of successful businesses do. Keep an eye on your inbox for tomorrows email where we’re going to show you how “Sarah” solved her ‘big small business problem’... trust me you’re going to love the end of this story :) Till tomorrow, Sean Vosler Ps. in the meantime we have a special on-demand webinar on business automation you should watch! Sign Up Here Pss. did you sign up for that webinar yet? ;)
117
Email Templates -www.getwsodo.com Email #5 www.getwsodo.com
Email #5 - Convert Email - Answer These to Brainstorm Email 5 What is the real solution to the problem? How did it make you feel when you found the solution to the problem?
Subject: Sarah’s Story Hello again, Sean here - if you’re having a stressful day maybe this story will help... Let me tell you a little story about a woman named “Sarah”.
What measurable effects will your customers experience when they follow your method?
Sarah was really good at making websites - so good in fact, she decided instead of working for a company building them she would strike out on her own! She’d quit the 9 to 5 and fast-track her way to building her own website building empire, or just simply not have a crazy boss anymore.
Number one reason they should take action now.
One problem, though she had orders coming in, she constantly had to worry about every other side of her the business that she really didn’t consider when she started... She became the accountant, the customer support manager, the sales and marketing director, and oh yea, the web designer! Before too long, she realized that she had exchanged the 9am to 5pm job for the 5am to 9pm job... Not a fun place to be! With all these other responsibilities she started to see sales decline - she just didn’t have the time to focus on lead generation for her business... She simply didn’t have the tools in place to generate traffic and leads for her business. Chances are you’ve experienced this too some measure. I know early on this was a big issue I faced in my business. Ultimately it lead me to make huge changes in the way I run my business. I started to look at people in similar businesses as mine, and living the lifestyle that I wanted to live. I started diving into the training they offered and worked diligently to change the way I look at and run my business. In my first couple emails we focused on the importance of ‘sales’, but as Sarah’s familiar story illustrates; the systems after the sale need to be solid so that you can scale your business WITHOUT burning yourself out. SO here’s your challenge - take a look at your business from 40,000 feet. If you were on the outside looking in - what would YOU change right now to make your business? Would it be one of the following? - boosting traffic to your website to generate more leads? - optimizing your lead funnels to generate more sales? - simply finding the right sources for leads? - sifting through the countless methods of generating leads & focusing on the right ones for your business? The traditional mindset on for business is to simply POWER THROUGH the problems. Where what you really need to do is systematize your business. This is what 100% of successful businesses do. Keep an eye on your inbox for tomorrows email where we’re going to show you how “Sarah” solved her ‘big small business problem’... trust me you’re going to love the end of this story :) Till tomorrow, Sean Vosler Ps. in the meantime we have a special on-demand webinar on business automation you should watch! Sign Up Here Pss. did you sign up for that webinar yet? ;)
118
copywriting
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
MADNESS
copywriting frameworks to apply the methods to
“Have I gone mad? - I’m afraid so. But let me tell you something, the best people usually are.” - Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland 130
let’s dive in…
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
introduction to madness and what this section is all about. how to use the frameworks with the methods
“Have I gone mad? - I’m afraid so. But let me tell you something, the best people usually are.” - Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
131
framework .1
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
the A’s of influence The Foundation of Successful Sales, Marketing & Copywriting is Understanding the Craft of Persuasion 134
A www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
The A’s of Influence The Foundation of 7 Figure Marketing
to change a mind and make a sale…
“First we have to capture their attention through the power of appeal (what’s in it for them). Once we have their attention we need to influence their attitude towards our topic. Once we’ve adjusted their attitude, we need to arouse them to take action.”
135
A’s of Influence
www.getwsodo.com (continued) www.getwsodo.com
the a’s Attention ~ fixate the distracted eyes of your audience. Appeal ~ establish the benefits for your audience. Acknowledgement ~ join the conversation in your audience’s mind. Arousal ~ tap into the emotional appeal of what you’re selling. Angst ~ ratchet up, then remove your audiences pain. Aspirations ~ identify where your audience is & where they want to be. Attitude ~ what is it now and what do we want it to be. Authority ~ position & prove ourselves as trustworthy advisors. Ambiguity ~ identify and answer all your audience’s objections. Ascension ~ guiding your audience through the stages of growth Affirm ~ take a stand for what you know to be true. Associate ~ associate your brand with positive familiarity. Aggravate ~ aggravate & address your audience’s built in conflicts. Animate ~ give life to your content & marketing. Action ~ present an offer they can’t refuse.
of influence by Sean Vosler
136
A’s of Influence
attention
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com the a’s of influence
Chop off The Head & You’re Left With Very Little Interest Unless You’re Name is jeffrey dahmer…
Headlines. Subject Lines. Topic Sentences. Hook. Thesis Statement. First Impression.
The Start.
The above terms all may have their unique structures purpose, but they all have a similar mission. It doesn’t matter if you’re writing a novel, an email, a landing page, or a billboard; the goal is always the same: To catch and keep the readers attention. All points, arguments, and influence in the piece builds upon that starting point. If the starting point does its job than you’re well on your way to creating something that will accomplish its mission…
… to influence your reader to undertake a desired action and align their ambitions with yours. As master editor Sol Stein put it in his book “On Writing” “Today’s impatient readers give a novelist fewer than several
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.” — Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities (1859)
"Call me Ishmael. Some years ago - never mind how long precisely - having little or no money in my purse, and nothing particular to interest me on shore, I thought I would sail about a little and see the watery part of the world.” —Moby Dick by Herman Melville
“This is a short book because most books about writing are filled with bullshit.” — Second Forward Steven King, on Writing
minutes. … [on observing book browsers] No browser went beyond page three before either taking the book to the cashier or putting the book down and picking up another to sample.”
“Willpower doesn’t work” — Benjamin Hardy - Willpower Doesn’t Work
How much LESS time we have as copywriters to capture attention, (many studies peg the time as under 5 seconds). Stein continues “Today, first sentences and first paragraphs of any writing are increasingly important for arousing the restless reader.” Later in the book Stein make sure that it’s clear that this applies to both fiction and non fiction.
“Before I begin telling you what I think, I want to establish that I’m a “dumb shit” who doesn’t know much relative to what I need to know” — (18x Billionaire) Ray Dalio - Principles
I’m sure it’s not difficult for you to agree with these findings, who doesn’t want their attention captured? As much as we’re in the selling or persuasion business as writers, were also in the business of entertainment; or at the very least it’s our job not to bore our reader.
Attention ~ fixate the distracted eyes of your audience.137
“Good is the enemy of great. And that is one of the key reasons why we have so little that becomes great.” - Jim Collins Good to Great (3 Million Units)
A’s of Influence
Ads That Capture Attention 1965 Ad for Northwest Airlines
clever demonstration of features & benefits
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com Land Rover Defender Advertisement
Heins Ketchup Ad
1957 Mac’s Resin Wax Coat Ad Nescafé Coffee Branding Ad
Exploring old & new ads for clever applications of attention grabbing strategies is always a fun exercise. If nothing else it can supply us with inspiration for metaphors and imagery we can use to capture attention in our own marketing materials. 138
put simply
attention is relativewww.getwsodo.com to interest www.getwsodo.com
a goldfish has the attention span of a goldfish … until it's on a hook
It's not that attention spans are lower today, it's that people have many more options & a higher standard for what they give their attention to. You keep your audience’s attention “until you say something that allows their mind to wander.” Tucker Max 139 Founder of Scribe, writer of four #1 New York Times Best Sellers
arousal
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com the a’s of influence
Arousal is that physiological response that only can be experienced – not imagined. Arousal is one of those words that is what it is – that is to say, arousal as a word is, well, arousing. It almost feels like a bad word, but like all words, its context of usage determines its true meaning. In our case, in the world of copy and persuasion, it adds some specificity to our goal of capturing & keeping attention, capturing attention by harnessing, with perhaps the most primal of devices at both ends of the natural spectrum. From fear to lust, from anxiety to the frozen moments in time that we can draw straight lines to and from where we are today. The sight of your first love entering the room, the news of the loss of a family member that seems to stop all functions and gives way to unimagined pain. Arousal is that physiological response that only can be experienced – not imagined. In the marketing world, being able to tap into this powerful force of nature is akin to building a machine that can capture the power of a hurricane. Dangerous in its possibilities, powerful in its prospects. I don’t need to go into the science and psychology behind arousal, we all just know it when we see it. Its built into us as much as our bones. A fight or flight reaction as old as human.
it’s that feeling when your favorite song comes on
So how do we harness its power?
Arousal is a flavor added to “attention”. There are many types of attention, arousal being perhaps the most intoxicating type. “Classic” ways of harnessing its powers are found in the not so subtle use of sex and figure, the lips, the eyes, the curves. This we can see everywhere, and for advanced as our society becomes it never really goes away, perhaps less overt, but it’s there, it’s everywhere. (Think GoDaddy hottie with a burger commercial.) We don’t have to revert to the overt, in fact, subtlety will go a long way to building arousal. In fact, I would argue with all the incredible stimulus around today that a taste of teasing can do much more to inspire arousal than a scantily clad conversation.
A subtle flirt of emotion can build the appetites of readers… driving them to crave more. 140 Arousal ~ tap into the emotional appeal of what you’re selling.
A’s of Influence
arousal
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com continued…
In our content, we should describe universally understood events that implicate arousal. Doing so in the context of what we are selling will give it the associated feelings to our message & offer… Humor connects it with joy. Interaction with a desirable partner connects it with love, lust, or companionship. Removal of fear or anxiety connects it with remedies to common problems. Reaching beyond one’s limits can connect it with the selfesteem and actualization we all crave. Even sadness or melancholy can draw a strong contrast between the negative event and the positivity of your offer. This is often done in the form of story. Classic “rags to riches", the "lost then found way", the search for “the one.” All universally recognized and ready to be tapped into. Does this mean our copy must have a long drawn out story to accomplish this task?
“For sale: baby shoes, never worn.” - Ernest
Hemingway
This quote from Hemingway is anecdotally attributed to him as his response to a the challenge of writing an impactful story in just 6 words. To me it’s perhaps the most heartbreaking short story ever told, and could serve as our hell of a headline for a campaign for vaccinating children. The point of sharing it is to show that 1. you don’t need a lots of words to arouse emotion, and 2. the strongest of emotions speak to what makes us human. Proper use of story and metaphors arouse emotion like nothing else. And in the game of attention and persuasion your well-tuned emotional message can do more for changing behavior and inspiring action than just about anything else.
you’re selling both the idea & the product
“Make ‘em cry, make ‘em buy.” tears of sadness & joy are equally welcome
See it in action: visit https://link.sean.co/power-of-emotion for perhaps the most powerful ad I’ve ever seen. 141 Arousal ~ tap into the emotional appeal of what you’re selling.
A’s of Influence
Ads That Arouse
clever use of emotion to arouse the viewer www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
nostalgic
sensual
provocative
inspirational
For more on arousing emotion with story check out… “The 6 Most Powerful Worlds in Marketing” Framework 142
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
“The thing I hate the most about advertising is that it attracts all the bright, creative and ambitious young people, leaving us mainly with the slow and self-obsessed to become our artists.” - Banksy, British Street Artist
applying the ‘A’s of Influence’ through the craft of persuasion How to can combine ‘The A's of Influence’ to create highly persuasive messaging without sacrificing our own ethics and integrity.
144
A’s of Influence
apply the ‘A’s of Influence’ www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
through the craft of persuasion
“Human nature is hell-of-a drug.” - Sean Vosler (quoting himself) For exactly all of recorded history the the subject of human nature has been at the forefront of those curious about what makes people tick. For politicians, marketers and mad men alike understanding human nature has always been the key to getting others to do what they want. It affects the rich, poor, and indifferent all the same. For entrepreneurs human nature (specifically what aspects of it influence persuasion) should be of particular interest. It holds the master key to selling in a world of non stop noise and distraction. Understanding it can give us the edge we need to capture attention and persuade even the most skeptical of our audience. If our products and services measurably helps others, we have the right to (ethically) influence those who need or desire it to purchase.
We can leave the deeper planes of human nature to philosophers and poets. Our concerns lays in how human nature relates to influence and persuasion. To keep this section from ballooning in to an atlas of the human psyche we will focus on 5 specific principles of persuasion. They serve as the foundation of the “A’s of Influence” and drive most of the decision making in a persons life. These 5 principles also serve as our navigation compass and a map, guiding us through to the secret parts of the human mind. We need them to traverse the ethical dilemmas that come with such power, lest we stray into the company of mad men. Never forget — our goal is not power, but to provide lasting positive results to our customers. We can accomplish this by ethically building influence with them through the power of persuasion, along with selling the highest quality product. 145
A’s of Influence
apply the ‘A’s of Influence’ www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
through the craft of persuasion
On the ethical side I must again append a mighty disclaimer to these techniques and strategies. Do not use them for evil, as they often are. They brush shoulders with the Machiavellian techniques used by cult leaders and many a genocidal maniac. Just a quick glance at history, or 50 shades of Grey, shows them in action.
Manipulation: relies on false promises, unrealistic results, and distorting the facts. Persuasion: relies on skillful demonstration of the facts to influence ones beliefs and actions. There can seem to be a fine grey line between manipulation and persuasion. Our job is to set our sails in a way that drives us toward positive persuasion and away from unethical manipulation. Consider this your only warning, once the ‘cat is out of the bag’ (also a nautical metaphor, look it up) there’s no going back. That’s enough nautical nonsense for now – let’s dive into these five useful persuasion strategies that human nature has embedded into our psyche; these 5 strategies are driven by the ‘A’s of Influence’. I’ll be referring to them as the “craft of persuasion”… 146
A’s of Influence
apply the ‘A’s of Influence’ www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
through the craft of persuasion
As we’ve already highlighted, the depths of persuasion
I’ve adapted his 5 core elements of persuasion (which I
could be barely captured in a Redwood Tree number of
won't spoil for you from his book) and tied them in with
pages. I wont but attempt to stand on the shoulders of
the fundamental elements from the A’s of Influence to
persuasion masters, I will, however, hand you the most
help us see the effects they have on our readers. These 5
compact, tangible, and actionable version of
strategies are also discussed heavily in books such as
persuasion strategies that I can.
“The 48 Laws of Power” by Robert Greene, “Story Wars” by Jonah Sachs, and Dale Carnegie’s classic “How to Win
My advice would be to internalize these as a second
Friends & Influence People”.
language, returning to them as you write any and all marketing materials. If whole nations, movements, and
I won't take credit for the core concepts here, my goal is
religions have been founded using the “the craft of
to show you how these persuasion fundamentals apply to
persuasion”, surely they will assist you in writing more
copy that we write.
persuasive content.
The following multifaceted approach to writing
Now, the A’s of Influence as a list can be useful when
persuasive copy is a flexible framework. You can start on
examining marketing materials for persuasive elements.
any point and move down the line; addressing each
We can plug them into different frameworks and use
strategy in succession. You can mix and match, making
them as guiding principles for structure as we write;
one the primary focus for different types of marketing
giving us guidance on the emotional notes to hit, and the
materials that have different goals or audiences.
logical information to cover. We’ll look at several frameworks in this book, the first being The Craft of Persuasion. This framework is based on the principles found in “The One Sentence Persuasion Course” by Blair Warren, a classic work of persuasive strategy and a highly recommended reading.
the craft of persuasion 5 foundations framework
1. Fan The Flame ~ ascension 2. Forgive Faults. ~ aspirations 3. Defeat Demons. ~ aggravate 4. Prove Presumptions. ~ acknowledgement 5. Attack The Enemy. ~ animate Separate these strategies are powerful, combined they create a diamond, The strongest elements of persuasion; the drivers of influence. 147
A’s of Influence
1.
persuasion crafting
“People screen out a lot of commercials because they open with something
www.getwsodo.com Fan Their Flames www.getwsodo.com
dull … When you advertise fire-extinguishers, open with the fire.” - David Ogilvy
Is it ever wrong to encourage the dreams of another? Logically their comes a point when encouraging the statistically improbable can be detrimental — e.g. a 62 year old arthritic man just isn’t going to make it into the NBA - and we shouldn’t try to persuade him otherwise. However the (admittedly new) father in me sees that even an unlikely dream can prove to be a powerful driving force of positive change in ones life. Encouraging a child's dream that they can be an astronaut, even if you perceive they may not have the aptitude too, can drive the child to investigate, pursue, and nurture a love of science. A journey to the stars may just lead to a fulfilling career in a parallel field on the surface. Or you might find yourself being the proud parent of an astronaut. Either way, the encouragement to go on the journey is what matters. Our audience has many unfulfilled desires and dreams. Part of our copy’s job is to to help them better understand the “gap” between where they are and where they want to be. “Fanning their flames” of desire is part of the process in closing that “gap”. Through the process of inspiring them to finally take action to reach their goal we give them a valuable tool. Inspiration to believe in their dream fuels action. Especially that important first step, to start. When that belief is combined with education and the right tools, we’re not giving false hope; we’re providing them with important tools of success. Don’t forget — they are all on a journey, it’s just a matter of identifying how close our audience is to their destination — showing them exactly how to (finally) fill the gap from where they are to where they want to be. This “gap” is where our product or service comes in — if indeed our product is the solution, let’s not be shy about explaining why. [More on this in the Hero’s Journey section.] Remember you may be one of the few to truly believe in them, this comes with a lot of responsibility. We must be confident in the tools we are selling, and provide the best instructions (roadmap) to reaching their destination as we can. We cant take all responsible, however, for holding their hands throughout; the proverbial “take a horse to water” is apt. But with the proper guidance we should expect the majority to reach their goal, with our help; if not we need to reexamine our product or service and adjust accordingly. Ideally those who don’t “fill the gap” will be provided a refund — along with our hope that they will find their way… there’s only so much we can do. Persuasion is rooted in education. Teach someone how to reach their dream and you need not persuade them any more than a child needs persuasion to reach for the stars.
148
A’s of Influence
1.
www.getwsodo.com The Psychology Behind The Strategy Fan Their Flames www.getwsodo.com
There are many ‘mental shortcuts’ built into human nature, many of these are useful time savers, some can be good or bad depending on the context, and others mostly work against logic. These shortcuts are often called ‘cognitive bias’, which we will examine in great detail in a future section. For the “Fanning Their Flames” persuasion strategy we can tap into quite a few of these ‘mental shortcuts’, and mitigate the ones that work against us. The first of which is named affect {emotional response} heuristic {decision making process}. This mental shortcut has to do with one's ability to gauge risks correctly while experiencing certain types of emotions. Put simply research shows that individuals are more likely to take risks in a heightened positive state of emotions (happy), and take fewer risks when feeling, well, sad. It’s why Casinos are so bright and colorful - they’re designed to make you happy. It’s part of why you might not wanting to go out on the town when you’re feeling down. Lift that state, with maybe a drink or two, and guess who’s all the sudden ready to go party? Yes, it’s quite an obvious effect, but it’s one that we are rarely aware of it’s influence at any given moment. This bias affects our perception of reality. You’re obviously not more (or less) likely to win the Jackpot if you’re in a good mood (or a bad mood), but your perception of your ability to win/lose changes with your emotions. As Henry Priest (Author of Biases & Heuristics p.12) puts it “in a positive emotional state, you are more likely to perceive an activity as having high-benefit and low risk”. For us, then, this translates to “to increase the likeliness someone doesn’t see my offer as high-risk, low reward, I must encourage positive emotions and negate negative emotions.” Some more ways we can encourage positive emotions...
•
Increase their understanding, people love learning new things especially
•
Support passionate views, as mentioned, you may be the first
•
Paint a more vivid picture of the possibilities, people's
•
When we use fear or other negative expressions in our
about themselves. to encourage them to follow a dream. imaginations of what’s possible may be limited. writing we want to be sure to highlight the positive outcomes of understanding the negative. Extreme example: “You have a disease, but now that you know there’s something you can do about it!”
Henry Priest also points out in his book that “affectbased evaluations are quick, automatic” and “are more pronounced when people do not have the resources to reflect”. So, providing our reader with a valid reason to “act now” (urgency) heightens this effect.
“if it makes you happy, why the hell are you so sad?” 149
- Sheryl Crow
A’s of Influence
1.
www.getwsodo.com Fan Their Flames www.getwsodo.com
Hope is the positive emotion we’re tapping into here, and distilling it into passion; a passion we can continually encourage our audience to harness; even if they’ve never believed in themselves before. In copywriting this can be seen overplayed in today’s “hustle” adverts. It can be almost insulting. Liberal use of “you deserve it”, or “just put your mind to it” gives shallow inspiration with no real guidance on how to “get it”. Our goal is not to encourage entitlement - it’s to inspire rebellion; rebellion against self doubt and cancerous delusions of “I just cant” — along with providing a realistic and easy to understand path to success. Truth is that with enough patience and leverage (read as: the right tools aka your product or service) most anyone can accomplish most everything. Again it goes without saying that what you promote should do what it promises. There’s no need to promise the world, just solve their problem. You have every right to sing the praises of your product to your audience — but don’t start there, start with fanning their flames; it is, after all, all about them.
“Learn to light a candle in the darkest moments of someone’s life…
Be the light that helps others see; it is what gives life its deepest significance.” ― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart
A’s of Influence That Apply Acknowledgement ~ join the conversation in your audience’s mind. Arousal ~ tap into the emotional appeal of what you’re selling. Aspirations ~ identify where your audience is & where they want to be. Ascension ~ guiding your audience through the stages of growth Affirm ~ take a stand for what you know to be true. Associate ~ associate your brand with positive familiarity. Animate ~ give life to your content & marketing. Action ~ present an offer they can’t refuse. 150
A’s of Influence 150
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
2.
all ^
It’s not your fault. Do not underestimate the importance of your message’s effect
persuasion crafting
on your audience, it will make or break a marketing campaign.
Forgive Their Faults “You can only find out what you actually believe (rather than what you think you believe) by watching how you act. You simply don’t know what you believe, before that. You are too complex to understand yourself.” ― Jordan B. Peterson, 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos
This quote is cold with its’ logic but should light a flame under anyone who understands its implications. What people think about themselves, both positive and negative, is almost always ill-informed and under developed. The significance of your beliefs only matters in relation to the actions you take. Without venturing too deep into the realm of ‘selfimprovement’ this simple insight is the driver behind the philosophy of ‘forgive them their faults’.
In your writing, you can build a strong connection with your reader by acknowledging that just because someone believes they can (or more importantly that they can’t) accomplish something doesn’t mean it’s true. Given the right tools and training, most people will be surprised at what they can accomplish; and while we can’t give our reader every piece of the puzzle we can give them a very important piece: forgiveness.
“The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed.” ― Carl Gustav Jung
Our Message Will Have an Affect on Our Reader, Our Job is to Guide That Reaction… 154
A’s of Influence
2.
“One does not become enlightened by imagining figures
Forgive Their Faults
of light, but by making the darkness conscious.”
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
― Carl Gustav Jung
Part 1: Forgiveness of Faulty Information & Wrong Conclusions The beauty of forgiveness in our writing is that we’re handing our reader the power of choice; a choice to move beyond their current belief system to something better. How? Well, firstly as noted most people often don’t understand the relationship between their beliefs and reality.
For instance… If they believe they can’t lose weight (through many years of failed attempts) then that becomes their reality; the feedback loop is painfully apparent when viewed from the outside… they believe they can’t lose weight, so they don’t try any new approaches, by default this leads to failure. This failure both reinforces the belief along with something more insidious; a dark resentment of their apparent lack of ability. Their identity (ego) can get tied in with this belief, “they’re simply not the kind of person who can lose weight” and they will come to resent this “fact”, and find all types of ways to confirm it in their day to day life (see confirmation bias). They may very much want change, but the false belief combined with the resentment of themselves makes success nearly impossible without drastic change. This is why psychological therapy is often the first step for many on a weight-loss journey (or weight gain for that matter). (Cognitive behavioral therapy to aid weight loss current perspectives https://link.sean.co/forgive-1) The selfdeceived individual must be helped to change their perception of reality before they can consistently take the actions necessary to lose the weight, and as important, keep it off long term. Any ‘self-actualization’ adventure, a journey of positive change, includes another crucial step - Acceptance. Acceptance that their own damaging false beliefs (they’ve developed as a form of self-defense) are an immense part of the problem. Acceptance that the resentment they harbor against themselves must be faced and resolved. In a real way, they must become the kind of person who loses weight before they can lose the weight. We can all empathize with this challenge, for us it may not be weight loss… but everyone has personal battles they are waging. While we may not be therapists, and we may not be selling a product or service that is as impactful as substantial weight loss, we can and must acknowledge the positive snowball effect our offer can have on people’s lives. We should take the time to identify what battles our audience is facing, and be crystal clear on how our product can assist them. If we’re not helping in some way, well it’s not much of a product or service, is it? Once we have identified the problem we’re helping them solve, we then must also work to identify the false beliefs about the problem that inevitably lead our reader to failure. Like a moth to an open flame humans are drawn to misconceptions. Not because we desire to be wrong, but because there is mysterious comfort in avoiding reality. It’s not long before the flame burns away our wings and we are trapped, even going as far as to forget what it was like to fly at all.
Our Message Must Give Light To Not Just The Solution, But Address Misconceptions As Well
156
A’s of Influence
Forgive Their Faults
Part 1: Forgiveness of Faulty Information & Wrong Conclusions
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
That miss understanding, false belief, lie, whatever you want to call it is the piece of the puzzle we need to bring to their attention, and forgive them for their misconception (more on this later). Another example… Let’s say we’re selling “just” bottles of water. Simple enough product, but think about the real-world benefits of water. It gives the drinker energy, vitalization, focus, a healthy alternative to other sugar-fueled monstrous drinks. Those positive impacts can lead to measurable improvements at work (more money?), more attentiveness in conversation (improved relationships?), and an all-around better life experience for the drinker (happiness). The misconception about water is, well, it’s just water. It’s not, not if you want to compete in a world of sugary alternatives. You must appeal to more than just the features; you must attach and associate realworld outcomes and benefits to make your message resonate. You must forgive the reader for not realizing the damage they’re doing by not drinking enough water, the damage caused by drinking the alternatives… you must forgive them for not knowing. Let’s take it a step further, you may want to take the blame off them for not knowing and attach it to the “evil corporations” pumping their blood full of sugar! More on that in the following section ‘Attacking Their Enemies’. As much as we may literally be forgiving in our copy, e.g. “it’s not your fault for not knowing the dangers of sugary beverages, and how important water is” we are also metaphorically forgiving them by not bashing them over their head with these ‘insights’. A ‘tone’ of forgiveness, the way we speak, can draw them in or push them away… and accusing our reader of being an idiot is not an ideal way to draw them is. This is easily seen in pharmaceutical commercials, mostly through imagery. The ads start out with dreary people, full of clear signs of hopelessness based on their condition. Then, the dreariness turns utter joy as the solution (the pill) is administered. From there they get their life back, running in a field with their grandchildren, or enjoying something they otherwise often missing from lack of treatment. Then they often descend into a messy list of side effects that usually sound worse than the condition itself, but I digress.
Implied Emotion Specified Outcomes
157
A’s of Influence
Forgive Their Faults Part 1: Forgiveness of Faulty Information & Wrong Conclusions www.getwsodo.com
www.getwsodo.com
Where is the forgiveness in this equation? Well, often it is simply implied… in the paramedical ad for example, since often the medication is “new”, they can easily be forgiven for not knowing about the option. Ask your doctor if Pill Name is right for you. That call to action is often preceded with a simple line of “stop living with *condition name*, and experience what life can be like without *condition name*”. Yes, this is a strong promise, but it also is a subtle acknowledgment that it’s ok, and it’s only a problem if you do nothing about it. It’s a touch of kindness that builds connection. In a longer form marketing piece, the pharmaceutical ad may deliver a more potent line of forgiveness, something along the lines of “Most people don’t realize that there is now a new treatment option for *condition name*, they may believe that they must live with the pain and suffering that comes with it forever. Perhaps they’ve been misinformed that the treatment is too expensive, or that they wouldn’t qualify for the treatment for some other reason… this couldn’t be further from the truth!” The copy is informing them that their potential false beliefs are reasonable (if not expected), that it’s understandable that they might not know; and can continue into a ‘call to action’ of what to do about it. We, again, are simply looking to give them “an out”, a way of acknowledging any potential mistakes they may have made up to this point. Enforcing that the problem isn’t THEM as a person. The problem is, through no fault of their own, the lack of knowledge (or a tangle of false beliefs) they may have on the subject; or any other enemy we may be able to identify as a cause to their issue. In this capacity as a writer, we are serving as a leader, a positive authority figure. And leaders must be willing to forgive those who lack understanding, and boy is our audience often misinformed and misunderstood. At the beginning of any individual transformation, there is going to be resistance to the notion that “it’s all my fault". And as empowering as it is for an individual to “just do it”, to take responsibility, and as much as we may believe in individuals’ rights and need to do so, the reality is that, so far, they haven’t. So, again, don’t let our own beliefs harden our ability to give help to our readers, even if we may see their lack of action as pitiful. You have not experienced their personal hell, and the first step to heaven may live in your ability to carry some of the load of resentment and loathing they carry; to assure them that it’s not all their fault. Forgiveness can be seen as a gift, and as cold and monochrome as business may seem there are pockets of warmth and color that can arise from your brand, delivered through your messages… you may be surprised how many people desire both what you’re selling, and a better understanding of their circumstances.
2. define the light
Let your message be the lighthouse that guides them through the storm. 1. define the storm
3. define the path 158
A’s of Influence
Forgive Their Faults www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com Part 2: Forgiving Desires - They, like you, are only human. It’s ok to purchase something for reasons that may, to some, seem less than righteous. One evening I was out with a friend who had just purchased a very expensive bag for his wife, this bag evidently cost around $80k (yes, eighty thousand dollars). You could imagine my astonishment, regardless of how much money you make that’s objectively a hefty price tag. She proceeded to show me this admittedly elegant bag... which of course was very difficult to purchase, at this level of luxury the buyers are mostly celebrities and the sellers prefer to keep it that way. The exclusivity factor was overcome and my friend was with great effort able to purchase the gift. Admittedly a lovely gesture on some level. She progressed to demonstrating the features of the bag, the quality of its leather, the nice magnetized hatch, it’s many convenient pockets. All while my mind kept doing the math on what I would rather do with $80k, no amount of bells and whistles was going to justify its price tag to me. Pragmatically this purchase made no sense, and I’m going to guess most of you reading this may agree with that assessment. Buying a small condo, paying off student loans, getting a luxury car, or a considerable donation to charity; all of these things sounded like a better purchase decision to me. But guess what? We are not the target audience of this product, in-fact the seller takes it up a notch and makes it difficult for just “anyone” to purchase it, even if they’re pounding at the door with cash in hand. Now that’s a distinctive level of luxury.
(not the actual bag)
You may also conclude that it’s a disgusting display of materialism, or some other moral or political assessment, but that’s another discussion entirely.
Why didn’t my friend come to the same conclusion about the price of the purse? Because we’re not living the same reality, in a sense, his experiences up to the moment of purchases are much different than mine. Not to say they don’t have a concept of how much money that is, they aren’t trust fund kids or billionaires. But their reality is that they have luxury cars, no student loans, they don’t need a new condo to add to their collection, and they give plenty to charity… At the point of purchase what they were looking for was what we all look for in a gift: giving something desired and beautiful to someone we love… well, at least at the surface. If that is where the purchase decision came from then who are we to judge? And, more valuable to this discussion, what are the lessons for us as marketers?
Céline’s logo shopping bag: $590
Do Not Assume You And Your Customer
Ok, I’ll admit - $590 for a plastic bag is a bit much…
Have All The Same Motivations or Desires
159
A’s of Influence
Forgive Their Faults Part 2: Forgiving Desires - They, like you, are only human. www.getwsodo.com
www.getwsodo.com
I share this story simply because it demonstrates a less overt form of forgiveness in our marketing, and it has to do with the concept of ‘ego-morphing’. This relates to the idea of why we buy the things that we buy, beyond the pure utility of the item; the motive. For example, we may buy a $20 watch for its utility of telling time, so why would anyone in their right mind purchase a $200,000 watch? If you ask someone who’s done such a thing, they may often go to great lengths to explain the craftsmanship of the item, the beauty, the historical significance of the long-standing company that created the piece. All of which may be true.
Janus Watch £374,000
But, underneath these justifications is the very real and natural desires tied into a persons ‘ego’, the need for status, confidence, power, and, well, sex. A $200,000 watch is a powerful social shortcut to establish the purchaser’s place in their perceived hierarchy, sharing quite clearly and quickly with others their status. And more to the point of ‘ego-morphing’ it confirms it internally to the buyer. They bought the watch to fulfill a need to confirm such things, they kept it for whatever justifications they prefer. Before you judge the buyer too harshly, you should know that even the person who purchases based on what they might consider “utility alone”, the person who buys the $20 watch, is reinforcing pieces of their ego. It may be that they see themselves as frugal, something they’re proud of, or perhaps they see themselves as more intelligent than others - after all, they did get a great deal on that $20 watch, ‘what silly person would spend $200,000 on a watch?’ they think. The point is, each buyer has a complex array of reasons and needs behind a purchase, any purchase, and being aware of these reasons will help us write copy that appeals to these reasons. So, which comes first? The egocentric desires, or the subjective justifications? It doesn’t particularly matter, they both naturally bubble up whenever we trade something we have for something we want or need. Most of the things we purchase today we don’t need to stay alive; and realistically anything ‘beyond the basics’ our human nature is going to find an ‘ego-centric’ way to interpret the purchase. The type of person you think you are determines largely the types of products you choose to buy, or not to buy. As Pratkanis and Aronson noted in their work “Age of Propaganda”, 1991, “By purchasing the ‘right stuff,’ we [consumers] enhance our own egos and rationalize away our inadequacies.” Consumers (we) are using what we have purchased to enforce a perception of their own attributes. This process works in relation to both the positive and negative judgments of ourselves, On some level, everything we are selling is interpreted through this lens of ‘who we think we are’. If a potential buyer sees our product & marketing as reinforcing their perception of their own self-worth in some way they are likely to consider our offer… conversely, if they see our offer as something that diametrically opposes a “truth” about themselves they will be turned off. Think of the people who buy Apple vs. Android. That may read as quite accusatory, like a judgy parent questioning why their teenager bought a muscle car instead of a more reasonable and safer Volvo. The problem with judging others for their purchase decisions (that don’t harm themselves or others) is that we frequently commit the same “sins”. If you personally don’t want to purchase things for what you perceive as the wrong reasons, fine, but don’t let this drive your copy. The pragmatic approach is to view the ‘reason’ someone justifies a purchase as what it is, human nature at work. You wouldn’t fault a dog for peeing on a tree, then don’t judge the rationalizations others make when they purchase something… or the price of the offer you’re writing for. This usually isn’t a problem for entrepreneurs who write copy for their own offers but can become an issue if you are writing for someone else. 160
A’s of Influence
Forgive Their Faults Ego-morphing in action…
As salesmen, as copywriters, as business owners, there’s nothing wrong with polishing the ‘ego-centric’ aspects of our offer. By doing so we are
forgiving our buyers for their rationalizations. The ethics here are simple www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com - if you believe in your offer, provide a reasonable way for the individual to receive a refund if they change their mind, and aren’t making false promises then there’s no harm in a bit of ego-stroking. They can, after all, always return the Rolex. While putting this piece together a friend of mine sent me this video of Kevin O’Leary (aka ‘Mr. Wonderfull’) interviewing one of my favorite Tech YouTubers Marques Brownlee which perfectly illustrates the cognitive processes that happen when a purchase is made. Watch as Mr. Wonderfull explains why he purchased his 5 figure watch, and what it means in the context of social status and how he quickly pivots into a story behind the watch. Marques then explains why his watch fills his personal needs. Both
https://link.sean.co/watch-example
Starts at 6min 45sec
Transcript
have solid justifications for their purchases, and neither particularly discounts the other’s perspective.
Kevin O'Leary: Like that's what I'm ask you about my watch. Yeah.
Kevin O'Leary: And I appreciate what this person did with his life to make this thing.
Kevin O'Leary: That's a piece of consumer electronics.
Marques: What is this watch and should I get it or is that not appropriate?
Marques: It absolutely is.
Kevin O'Leary: Well, this is an FP Journe Centigraphe of which there are only 10 on Earth.
Kevin O'Leary: And. You know, again, because I Mr. Wonderful, I want to tell you the truth, when you walk in a room with that on your wrist, you're telling everybody, I'm 20 percent off retail. You want to get a watch that talks about you. As, you know, it's a style thing.
Marques: Sounds like I can't afford that. Kevin O'Leary: This is number six. I'll tell you what it costs. It's about eighty thousand dollars. But it's not, it's not about the money. It's about that, the FP Journe, who is actually Picasso alive, if you could buy a Picasso from Picasso in the south of France, walk into a studio, say, I really love that I'm going to buy it from you and I know who you are. That would be really what's happening here with an FP Journe, right. So when a man only makes 10 watches, he's really gutting his soul for you because he's not doing it for the money.
Kevin O'Leary: Know what I'm saying? I wouldn't be caught dead with that on my wrist. Marques: Here's how I see it. Cause I kind of see parallels in the car industry in an interesting way, you know, an investment watch. [Yes]. Versus a utility watch. [Yes]. So when I when I'm walking down the street and I get a notification on my phone and this shows up and I can just dismiss it real quick, right? Or someone calls me and I don't have to take my phone in my pocket. I'm just hanging onto the subway with one hand and I can take the call real quick and then end it. That is some of the things that I value any utility watch where if I was just buying a fashion piece or an investment watch or I have different goals, what I wanted to appreciate in value or I want to look better, this is not what I would choose.
Marques: That's like the the McLaren GTR like special edition. [Exactly] Only in the World, you know they're special. They can only make so many. Kevin O'Leary: Does that sing to you? Would you like to own one of those cars? You a car guy? Marques: I'd say I'm more of a car guy than a watch guy. And I can make those parallels. And I appreciate the mastery of the mechanical design of a watch [Yeah] in the same way. But let's say I want to get a watch and I can't go headfirst into the McLaren GT of watches. Where should I start?
Kevin O'Leary: So what would be cool for you would be to have a watch that speaks to you from a styles perspective or an investment perspective. And the electronics utility, you know, the other day I looked I was looking at this watch and a woman beside me who I didn't know said, what time is it? I said, I have no idea. She said, you just looked at your watch, she said, that has nothing do with the time.
Kevin O'Leary: The watch that I think would be perfect for you as a starter Watch would probably be the Patek Phillippe 5711 Nautilus. It is the most pursued watch on earth today is steel with a blue face. Yeah, but it is a beautiful mastery of what Patek Phillippe is all about.
Kevin O'Leary: I'm appreciating the art, the mastery of making this piece, which is one of 10 in the world. And it just brings a tear to my eye. And I love to look at it. I have no idea what time it is. I don't care. [Yeah. Yeah.] That's what a what a watch is about.
Marques: This watch face, it's like copying some of that. Yeah I know. But like that ain't a Patek, I know.
Marques: Totally. And if you see the same thing in cars too, right?
Kevin O'Leary: But the point is when you walk in a room with that, people that love watches know right away that you respect the mastery of making something like that. And also that you would have one says Patek really digs you because there's a thousand guys around the world that want one of those.
Marques: Someone will just love and appreciate a car sitting in their garage. Beautifully. I might not try to drive, but once a year, but I can look at and admire it for the mechanical art that it is. Or I can buy a borderline piece of tech, an electric car at Tesla, [yeah] and it's just getting me from point A to point B over and over and over. And I'm saving money because I don't buy gas and has all these other values to it.
Marques: But it's difficult to actually get? Kevin O'Leary: I think I can help you out... [ok] But you have to make that decision that you want to get there.
Kevin O'Leary: Well, maybe it's because you're a young guy. But at some point you want to appreciate the art, the mastery of it, of a man spending a thousand hours to make something that has no reason to exist other than it's a piece of art, because that watch tells the time a lot better than this piece of art. Right. But this thing costs 4000 times what that does.
Marques: Alright, that might be something I can dip my feet into.
161
A’s of Influence
Forgive Their Faults
"I like the night. Without the dark, we'd never see the stars." — Stephenie Meyer - Twilight
Part 3: Ways to (Ethically) Stroke the Ego & Make the Sale www.getwsodo.com
www.getwsodo.com
There are two key ways to explore ways to leverage ego-morphing in our writing. The first is obvious, we can tailor our message to specifically engage the egotistical values of those we target. They want status? Show them someone using your product in a way that gains the admiration of others. They want sex-appeal? Show them someone looking sexy, receiving not so subtle suggestions of that kind of attention from others. Just open up a magazine and explore a few ads to see this in action.
how it's done
Don’t forget, when viewing an ad we’re quickly judging both the product and the message in relation to how we might fit in the picture… The ad for a Jeep is designed to appeal to the person who sees themselves as an explorer. The wrinkleless heroine showing off the latest age-defying cream appeals to the desire to be seen as young, throw in a fun and flirty expression to tap into the desire to be seen as desirable… you get the idea. Use messages and images that illustrate a distinct value that we know our target would
confident, smarter, more fun, more flirty, more powerful. The second way to tap into egomorphing in our writing is much more
So you think you’re bad at dating...
2.Give them the context as to why they’re not alone in having that false belief.
You may feel this way because you haven’t been on a date for a long time, and you seem to get little attention from your preferred prospects.
very much like to reinforce in their own life. [See Hero’s Journey Framework in this book for more information on how to accomplish this.] Make ‘them’ feel sexy,
1.Acknowledge a negative/false belief.
3. Forgive them for having the belief... after all, they didn’t understand; it’s not their fault that they miss attributed lack of action (leaving house) to a personality issue (bad at dating).
demanding of our imagination and can be even more influential. It involves combining both the positive ego-boosting aspects of our offer and our audience along with addressing much less desirable
I can understand why you feel this way, many do - even the most charming and beautiful people may conclude they’re undesirable at times. You would be forgiven for believing that you have nothing to offer. THE REAL PROBLEM IS… You simply haven’t put yourself out there.
aspects of their ego… and forgiving them for their errors in perception.
4.Invite them to leave the false belief about themself behind.
You see, many people haven’t given themselves a chance to shine. They put themselves in the wrong situations with the wrong people, or no situations at all, and than in reality… and/or they’re simply not true. conclude something is wrong with them when Someone may see themselves as a complete failure in the they strikeout. As we’ve discussed previously the ‘negative
values’ we assign ourselves subconsciously are almost always much more dramatic in our minds
dating world, where in reality it has nothing to do with them as a person and everything to do with the fact that they simply don’t leave the house.
See ‘The Contrarian Copy Structure’ for a deeper dive into these steps.
What are we to do with someone who has falsely attributed a ‘situational issue’ (not leaving the house) with a ‘value conclusion’ (that they are bad at dating)?
Well, it might be as simple as just telling them. 162
A’s of Influence
Forgive Their Faults Part 3: Ways to (Ethically) Stroke the Ego & Make the Sale www.getwsodo.com
www.getwsodo.com
Again, this strategy may lend itself to more long-form marketing pieces such as sales pages, emails, video sales letters; but with the right imagery, it can work wonders in advertisements as well. It also lends itself to working well on offers positioned around self-improvement, personal growth, and health; though I highly recommend looking at your offer from those perspectives; even if you’re selling something as innocuous as bottled water.
need to remember that our target audience has desires, desires we shouldn’t ignore or judge them for. In short… Identify what qualities (values) your target audience wishes to associate with themselves after their interaction with your brand/product/message. Not just how you want them to feel (emotions) but what qualities/ values do you want to enhance in their life? It can be easy to forget that most of the individuals interacting with our brand or message have never heard of us before, have no clue who we are, and no ideas (positive or negative) about “us”. They may have associations with our industry which can color their attitude, but mostly they are coming to us with a blank slate. Whatever message we put forth at the start will serve as the foundation for their perception. If we shape our message to be attractive to both literal and ‘egocentric’ needs quickly we are well-positioned to build the sales relationship… If, however, we start with a convoluted mess of a stance, no clear values, no clear ideas or useful insights, we will likely lose their attention before we had a chance to explain our offer.
A simpler way to look at all this may be to change our own perspective on what we’re selling from: “product/ service” to “a new (better) way of doing things”. Sprinkling into our message forgiveness in both literal and metaphorical ways. By granting someone forgiveness for a long-held damaging misunderstanding about themselves you are accomplishing several things. Once you’re building trust, forgiveness is perhaps the most robust trust builder there is, two you’re setting yourself up as both a confidant and an authority. In a very real way, you are also (third) giving them permission to forgive themselves. Powerful stuff indeed.
This is why we need to have a crystal clear understanding of (1.) what we are selling, (2.) who we are selling it to, (3.) how our offer affects the buyer, and (4.) how our message affects the potential buyer. This 4th factor in the equation is where most marketing copy is lacking and it is where forgiveness of our audience’s faults can have the greatest impact.
Ask yourself... How does your offer help to alleviate negative selfimage beliefs of your audience? How does your offer help to enhance the non-negative* self-image beliefs of your audience? * Non-negative are subjective values such as vanity, esteem, self-importance, superiority, or social approval… They shouldn’t be interpreted by us as either completely positive or negative, but they are all things considered consciously or subconsciously when a purchase is made.
You might think that your offer has little to contribute directly in terms of improvement or reinforcement of desired attributes… it can be tough to attribute ‘improved social status’ to a cup of coffee. There are, however, other ways to imply these attributes. One way is to personify. To give personality to a brand or product or service. The Dos Equis “the most interesting man in the world…” campaign, or ‘The Old Spice Guy” commercials. These ads sell-by associating their product with values (personified by the actors and events) the target audience desires to have and accentuate. We’ll dive deeper into ‘values-based selling’ in other sections within this guide, but in essence, WE as writers 163
A’s of Influence
www.getwsodo.com Forgive Their Faults www.getwsodo.com
try this
The philosophy behind much advertising is based on the old observation that every man is really two men—the man he is and the man he wants to be. - William Feather I love this quote because it clearly defines a distance in life that we all wish to shorten. The distance between who we are and who we want to be. Forgiveness is a key part of that process.
Quick practical ways to put ‘Forgive Their Faults’ into action... Let’s help our readers get from where they are to where they want to be… Applying the principles behind ‘Forgive Their Faults’ works wonders with content marketing, it can serve as the framework for a whole series of blog posts, cornerstone content pieces, and even whole eBooks or lead guides for us to create. We will draw from it for more direct marketing pieces such as emails, sales pages, and advertisements. Before we start crafting our pieces we first need to collect some information, follow the following 5 steps to create a master research document to draw from while your writing.
STEP #1
Your ‘Mistakes’ Research Document DEFINE THE MISTAKES: Review to the 4 steps in Part 3 “How it’s Done” a few pages back, then identify and write out at least 3 harmful and/or misguided beliefs related to your offer. [For inspiration search ‘KEYWORD mistakes’ and your niche/ industry on blogging sites such as Medium.com] Ideally, you want to find mistakes that you have experience with, mistakes you’ve made or ones you’ve helped customers overcome. If you find a mistake that seems important but you haven’t yourself dealt with it keep digging into the subject, find more articles and books related to the topic. Look for videos of people who faced the issue you’ve defined, often you can find passionate stories of people who’ve overcome them. If it’s particularly interesting you may consider reaching out to individuals (clients or otherwise) who may have experienced it and interview them. At a minimum, you’ll want to be sure you have a strong handle on the issue itself, otherwise, your reader will see right through you.
How To
164
A’s of Influence
Forgive Their Faults STEP #2
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com Your ‘Mistakes’ Research Document cont.
try this
RAISE THE STAKES: Next, define the cost, raise the stakes! What damage is affecting your reader this very moment? Create a list of bullet points of the possible real-world negative consequences that stem from the mistakes you've defined.
Our goal here isn’t to frighten necessarily, our aim is to make the consequences clear. What are the cascading effects they can expect to experience if they don’t address the issues? Where might they find themselves ‘stuck’ in the future if they don’t change? Why are these mistakes going to hold them back from reaching their goals? Painting a picture of dark clouds on the horizon will heighten the desire for the reader to find a solution, one you and your offer can provide.
Example… For example, Nick Wignall’s post “6 Subtle Habits That Are Sabotaging Your Happiness” (https://link.sean.co/6habits) does a great job of raising the stakes for each of the habits. Here’s an excerpt…
Bad Habit: Worrying about the future and other people’s opinions of you... Worrying is the mental habit of trying to solve a problem that either can’t be solved or isn’t really a problem. [ defines the mistake ] It’s easy to fall into because it feels productive, like we’re at least doing something. It staves off the feeling we hate most of all: helplessness. Worry gives us the illusion of control.
Source: https://link.sean.co/6-habits
But here’s the thing: sometimes we are helpless. Sometimes things are bad, or painful, or terrifying and there’s nothing we can do about it.
• Yes, something terrible could happen to you or people you care about in the future. • Yes, some people really, truly, deep-down don’t like you very much. Worrying about it is denial of reality. It’s a demand that everything be the way you want it. It’s an attempt to control what is fundamentally outside your control. It’s expectations gone wild. Sh*t happens. People are jerks.
The implication being that it Worrying about it won’t change things. will actively impede our goals But it will lead to a lot of anxiety. [ raises the stakes ] while causing anxiety. 165
A’s of Influence
Forgive Their Faults STEP #3
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com Your ‘Mistakes’ Research Document cont.
try this
THE FORGIVENESS: List out possible reasons someone may fall for the mistakes, both internal and external. Why might they hold onto these false beliefs (internal)? What influences might be interested in keeping the truth about their false beliefs from them (external)? By default, we can always count on ‘ignorance’ as a common issue, “they just didn’t know’ - and we’re here to fix that.
Example… Let’s continue with Nick Wignall’s post “6 Subtle Habits That Are Sabotaging Your Happiness” (https://link.sean.co/6-habits) and highlight where he ‘forgives' the reader… Bad Habit: Worrying about the future and other people’s opinions of you... Worrying is the mental habit of trying to solve a problem that either can’t be solved or isn’t really a problem. [ defines the mistake ] It’s easy to fall into because it feels productive, like we’re at least doing something. It staves off the feeling we hate most of all: helplessness. Worry gives us the illusion of control. [ Forgiveness ] But here’s the thing: sometimes we are helpless. Sometimes things are bad, or painful, or terrifying and there’s nothing we can do about it.
• Yes, something terrible could happen to you or people you care about in the future. • Yes, some people really, truly, deep-down don’t like you very much. Worrying about it is denial of reality. It’s a demand that everything be the way you want it. It’s an attempt to control what is fundamentally outside your control. It’s expectations gone wild. Sh*t happens. People are jerks.
STEP #4
Worrying about it won’t change things. But it will lead to a lot of anxiety. [ raises the stakes ]
GRAND ILLUMINATION: Highlight the immediate benefits of addressing the mistake. What are the easily identifiable benefits? Then, return to your easily identifiable benefits and extrapolate to more complex and higherlevel benefits [See also example of selling bottled water a few pages back].
Nick’s concludes his ‘worry habit’ section with the following line... “Learn to accept the pain of what is or what might be and let go of your habit of worry and all the anxiety it generates.” [ illumination ] Nick went with one simple benefit of addressing the bad habit of worry. In our own final writing piece, we may wish to ‘keep it simple’ and hone in on one key benefit - but make sure it has sufficient gravity to pull the reader in. In your research document, however, be sure to write out as many as possible. 166
A’s of Influence
Forgive Their Faults STEP #5
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com Your ‘Mistakes’ Research Document cont.
try this
WHAT’S NEXT: What steps can be taken to address the mistakes? Even if they seem obvious list them out. One of the steps should be related to your offer, of course, it needs to be part of the process of ‘fixing’ the problem.
Example… Let’s finally return to Nick Wignall’s post (https://link.sean.co/6-habits) and see what practical advice he gives on the subject. [ what’s next? ] Work to become more aware of your habit of worry, then question it:
• • •
Am I productively solving a genuine problem, or doing mental hand wringing? What function does my worry really serve? What benefit does it really give me?
The 'What's Next’ section should be as concise and actionable as possible, Nick gives us a very simple yet practical set of instructions and not much more. The type of marketing material we are creating from our research document will largely determine how much detail we will want to include. A blog post may give us plenty of room to dig into details on each step without risking losing a sale, but a sales page may simply hint at them; and an email may not have any at all but instead leaving this section to be answered on the next page. In our research document, we will want to include as many details as possible so we can pull what we need from it when we are creating our pieces.
What to Do With Your Mistakes Research Document You can start to craft persuasive materials from this document right away, these types of pieces can stand alone as powerfully empathic cornerstones for your brand. At the end of the A’s of Influence framework we will look at more specific ways to weave this content together in ever more persuasive and useful ways. Next, we’re going to build upon ‘Forgive Their Faults’ with the concept of ‘Defeating Their Demons’. We’ll explore the ultimate impediment our audience faces on their journey to success, and how we can help them conquer it.
“Now it's the dark's turn to be afraid.” ― Joseph Delaney, Curse of the Bane 167 Up next… Defeat Their Demons
A’s of Influence
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
your words can scare them away… or offer them shelter.
a wolf pursued a lamb, which fled for refuge to a certain temple. the wolf called out to him and said: “the priest will slay you in sacrifice, if he should catch you.” on which the lamb replied: “it would be better for me to be sacrificed in the temple than to be eaten by you.”
168
3.
Defeat Their www.getwsodo.com Demons www.getwsodo.com
Every marketing piece we create is entering in a beautiful battle of ideas. We are fighting for attention, dancing with distraction, and balancing the need for them to understand with the desire to be understood. In short, we are at war with the demons that plague our readers. Among these demons are the destructive rationalizations and poorly assembled assumptions that stand in the place of hard-earned beliefs. By learning how to defeat these demons we can instill in our reader something incredibly powerful, a solid foundation of truth and understanding. This will give you, the writer, a solid platform from which to sell and a long term brand from which to launch ever more impactful products & services, not to mention a message that will out convert any ‘flash in the plan’ competitive products that will inevitably launch.
Before we can attack, we must first better understand our enemy… ultimate victory depends on our ability to persuade our reader that we, not their “demons”, are who they should listen to. The word “Persuasion” stems from the Latin persuadere, which roughly translates to “complete advice” (from Latin, from per- ‘through, to completion’ + suadere ‘advise’). Its opposite, being unpersuasive, logically brings us to the idea that an argument or point we are trying to prove is incomplete. Makes sense, if we present a fact to someone with little to no evidence to support it we’re likely not to be seen as persuasive. But what makes ‘complete advice’, or a complete argument? The ‘A’s of Influence’ is my take on the elements needed to put together a ‘complete’ (and therefore persuasive) argument, it is a way for us to examine what it takes to write a convincing message. The foundation of all its parts, the essence of what makes it so powerful, is empathy. That term has found its way into many different sections of this book and is a flexible enough term to allow for different interpretations. At its core empathy is the ability to interpret and experience the feelings of others. Not simply a cold mechanical understanding, but a visceral connection with the person’s emotions. A common mistake around empathy is only focusing on the negative emotions of others, only getting to know their pain. While this might be the primary use for empathy, we also can benefit from imagining the joys others experience. What good might we bring into their life with our influence? Only by connecting on both the positive and negative emotional level can we give ‘complete advice’, to be persuasive. The last two sections ask us to empathize on both these levels. To dip into the aspirations (Fan their Flames), and trudge through their lesser qualities (Forgive Their Faults). But empathy has its limits. Even the most empathetic person can erode trust by not giving actionable advice supported by well organized evidence. You can win the heart, and still risk losing the mind. Let’s win both. Now we’re going to hone in on that all-important element in building any argument: evidence.
Evidence is the light we shine on the darkest parts of our reader’s path. Paving it with concrete truths while enforcing the goodwill we’ve earned through carefully practiced empathy. Never forget we sell with emotion, but justify the purchase with logic.
169
A’s of Influence
Defeat Their Demons www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
“The truth will set you free… but first it will piss you off.” ― Joe Klaas, Twelve Steps to Happiness
By default, we humans very much dislike being presented with information that conflicts with our current understanding of things. The intensity to which we resist new information seems to be correlated with how strongly we identify with the belief, that is, how much of our personal self we have wrapped up in with the belief. If it’s connected with our ‘core being’ we will fight like a rabid dog to subdue the new information. Perhaps by swiftly listing off all the reasons it’s wrong in our mind, or we may discount the source, or we may conclude that the conflict presented to us simply doesn’t matter. All these reactions and those like them fall under the mental process of ‘cognitive dissonance’. This process of rationalization can be harmless (eg. I’ll brush my teeth later, I need to drink my coffee first) or it can lead to potentially life-threatening beliefs (eg. smoking is bad, but it helps me keep weight off - so it’s better for me to smoke). How you react to new information can tell you a lot about yourself, and personally, I find it as one of the better gauges of progress in my life (eg. am I willing to accept new information and change my behavior if that new information disagrees with my current understanding?). We will deep dive into cognitive dissonance later in this guide and look at how we can use it to our advantage in marketing, but for this section, we need to understand how information is processed by people. IF we are presenting a reader with new information that is counter to their current understanding we should expect there to be some level push-back from them. Especially if the challenge we are present is affecting core beliefs they strongly believe. We should not assume they will take it at face value, as such we will want to do two important things… 1.
Present evidence to support our claims.
2. Address potential ‘cognitive dissonance’ reactions to those claims and our evidence. E.G. “Now I know what you’re thinking…” - to actively manage objections. These rationalizations that hold our reader back from realizing the “truth” are the ‘Demons’ I’m referring to in this section title*. These are the insidious
The Samurai Creed
conclusions along the lines of ‘I’m not smart enough for this’, or seemingly harmless ones like ‘I don’t care about having white teeth’ -- the latter seemingly harmless unless you sell
I have no means; I make understanding my means. I have no magic secrets; I make character my magic secret.
The Samurai Creed was written by an unknown author around 1300 A.D. and gives us some food for thought. In essence it invites its believer to abandon pride in oneself, one's own ‘magic’ and ‘means’, and instead rely on understanding and character. I find its implication powerful, and a hallmark of anyone with an open mind.
a tooth whitening solution. They are objections to the evidence we present to support our claims, and without addressing them we will without a doubt lose our reader.
170
A’s of Influence
Defeat Their Demons Why demons? Demons as a concept are only interested in preserving themselves at the expense of others, they actively feed you with things you
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
desire, things you want to hear -- but have no interest in the truth or reality. Just like false beliefs they simply want to ensure their own survival, with the insidious twist that they know they’re not good for you. Conceptually they sit on your shoulder whispering in your ear to ignore, to do the opposite of what’s good for you. They cloud judgement and rationalize lies. Yes, yes, IDEALLY you would just “sell to the willing”. Go where your fans are, preach to your choirs. By all means, you should appeal to them as well, but if you want to sell to more than just the niche that already agrees with you (and good luck finding just them) you will want to know how to “convert people to your religion” - to convince the skeptical to ‘taste and see that it is good’. ^ see what I did there?… this ‘admission of an alternative path’ is one powerful way to actively sequester a likely conflicting opinion; an objection. If you read my claims above that “you should build an argument to counter cognitive dissonance” and reacted with “well shouldn’t I just try and sell to people who already agree with me?” this short paragraph is designed to preemptively address that conflict. In marketing, this is often referred to as ‘objective handling’ and is a large part of what we’re discussing here. We’ll take a look at some more ways to handle objections shortly.
The formula as we’ve mapped so far in its simplistic form looks like this... 1.
Empathize with the reader’s positive & negative views on a given topic.
2.
Present a claim about that topic.
3.
Support the claim with evidence.
4. Support the evidence by actively managing potential objections. 5.
Reach a reasonable and beneficial conclusion.
6. Repeat. This simple yet powerful ‘myth repellant’ has been in use for literal thousands of years. A complementary approach that we can consider is ‘The Socratic Method’, named after the Greek Philosopher Socrates around 2500 years ago. Much of our modern western institutions are built upon this foundation, and that should give us some perspective on its power. As with our method, the goal of the Socratic Method isn’t just to be right for the sake of being right, but to actively engage the critical thinking powers of the participants… to change minds. 171
For a closer look at how to identify and overcome objections look at ‘The Contrarian Message Toolkit’ within the next framework in this guide.
A’s of Influence
Defeat Their Demons
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com on changing minds The phrase “change minds” is so overused today that I want to be sure the impact of those words isn’t lost - for a moment consider how difficult it can be to successfully change someone’s mind. When was the last time you had a political ‘debate’ online that ended with “Oh, yup, I see your evidence there and clearly you’re right! I’m going to change my beliefs related to that issue right away!” -- essentially never right? Why not? Well, nuances of social media aside, the discussion itself wasn’t started with the goal of finding the truth, it was started to confirm a belief and to reinforce it. The Socratic Method’s goal is the essence of what makes it powerful. A Socratic Circle is not a debate. The goal of this activity is to have participants work together to construct meaning and arrive at an answer, not for one to “win the argument” (Source: https://link.sean.co/socratic-circle). In a real sense, this process goes beyond the ‘prove it’ mentality and invites the learner, our audience, to examine their core values and assumptions. To bring them to a conclusion, not to give them one. We serve simply as a guide, not judging them, not accusing them, but bringing forth the right questions and evidence to unravel and realign core beliefs. Our message and the structure of our ‘argument’ is the tool we give them to bring forth these changes. Are we still talking about copywriting and marketing here? Well, perhaps we’ve ventured into a more metaphysical depth, but ask yourself - shouldn’t I be willing to go to whatever depths? If what I’m presenting to the world is birthed of everything I know to be true; shouldn’t I? Like it or not this is what you’re doing. You’re showing the world what you’re made of, grabbing critics and devotees alike and bringing them into the circle. Evaporating falsehoods, fighting the self-defeating demons, crushing long-held damaging beliefs of your audience. You are a bringer of good news, and of vengeance against those who have been harming those you care about. YES. You are just selling a thing or a service. But, you are also bearing your soul with your words, with your creations. If done well they will outlive you, your words and your deeds along with the lives you changed along the way. This is the realm of legacy, the thing millions fight and die for and few achieve.
The demons are the false assumptions & beliefs derived from non critical thinking.
172
A’s of Influence
You Won’t Convince Everyone. www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com “Any fool can criticize, complain, and condemn—and most fools do. But it takes character and self-control to be understanding and forgiving.” ― Dale Carnegie, How to Win Friends and Influence People Ideology: A set of normative beliefs and values that a person or other entity has for non-epistemic [knowledge based] reasons. These rely on basic assumptions about reality that may or may not have any factual basis. As mentioned the amount of resistance you should expect to receive will depend on how deep your message cuts, how fundamental you’re attempt is to change one’s image of themselves. There are essentially three buckets of minds, those that are cautiously opened to new ideas (open-minded) those who are not (close-minded) and a third, fairly rare mind, that we should simply accept that we will not convince to our ‘cause’. This ‘third mind’ is one enveloped in ‘ideology’. It has latched onto a belief system that has no room for new ideas that question the core tenants of its belief system. In fact, anyone who questions them is branded an enemy and wrong because of the act of questioning itself. It is a cult-like mentality, and not worth our effort to try and address (at least in the context of marketing). These are the trolls in the comments section who argue in bad faith, the individuals who will twist your ideas and words in ways that no logical person w0uld agree with. If you’re selling something profound you should expect these types of individuals to come out of the shadows. The very existence of your message is a threat to their ideology, and they will fight to silence it… they have no interest in your evidence or perspectives, and they should be seen for what they are. Fortunately, they are mostly on the edges of society, but they can indeed be loud - so being able to identify them, and actively avoiding letting them pressure you into silence, is important. If you want to take it a step further, forgive them for their plight; ‘love your enemy’ as the saying goes… they are, after all, in a far darker place than you - stuck in a world where even questioning a belief is seen as dangerous. Don’t let their cynical critiques anger you, if anything, feel pity. Now there are people who may seem "closed-minded" who can be reached, they are the ones who may have legitimate critiques or questions, even if they choose to present them in a harsh or demeaning way. These are incredibly useful people because they will tell you where your message is breaking down. It can be hard to distinguish the two, but usually they can be identified by how they react to your answers. If they're willing to keep discussing then they're not ideological, they just have concerns (ones we should address). If they start to attack you, or your industry, or other people like you, then they likely have no interest in actually learning anything.
Defeat Their Demons
173
Diogenes, an Ancient Greek philosopher (c.412-c.323 BC), the most famous of Cynic philosophers. He lived in a large ceramic jar and refused societies ideas & ideals. He was very cynical indeed.
A’s of Influence
Defeat Their Demons asking the right questions Now let’s take a step back and focus in www.getwsodo.com on the core elements in play here as they relate to the www.getwsodo.com prior two ‘A’s of Influence’ sections and this section… Present a claim about a subject. Ask: What impactful revelation (insight) do we think our audience would find provocative and impactful? Support the claim with evidence. Ask: What facts, figures, studies, rhetorical questions, and analogies could we present to support our claim? Examine the evidence by actively managing potential objections. Ask: For each piece of evidence we present what is a likely counter argument and how can we proactively address it?
The Goal: To change a mind we need to frame our evidence in a way that engages our reader’s critical thinking. Christopher Pappas’ write up on “Socratic Questions in eLearning” (https://link.sean.co/s-questions) does a great job defining the different types of questions that the Socratic Method utilizes. I’ve added my own thoughts to his definitions as they relate to copywriting and our desire to not just win, but to persuade. We can use these to help us examine our important claims, our readers beliefs, and determine what sort of evidence we should supply to support them. Christophers’ article focused on how to use these questions in direct or group discussions, I’ve added in ways for us to use these in more rhetorical ways since we won't literally be having a discussion with our audience.
the 6 frames that engage critical thinking
1.
& how to use them in our copy.
Clarification. - When we bring to light a thought provoking question so we can explore a topic... Encourages learners to examine why they are asking a question or the logic behind an opinion or idea. Clarification questions typically require an explanation as a response. Example: Why do you believe that…? In copy rhetorically ask your reader to consider why we presented a claim or a piece of evidence. Copy Example: Question We Ask: “What is the number 1 entrepreneurship skill?” Claim: “Copywriting is the number 1 most important skill to learn first.” Clarification: Why is it important to prioritize the skills we learn? We are using this question to both raise the stakes and give us a jumping point to better inform our audience.
2.
Probing assumptions. - When we want to call into question a false belief. This type of inquiry prompts learners to think about the beliefs or assumptions that are the basis of their argument. It gives them the opportunity to delve into their thought processes and figure out why they think the way they think. Example: Can you tell me why…? In copy, ask them to consider the path that brought them to a specific false conclusion. - “everyone else does it”, “the teacher said”, “just the way it is”. Copy Example: “You may think that rasing investment money, networking, or managing people are the skills you must first learn to become an entrepreneur… but ask yourself, why do I think that’s the case? … continued …
174
A’s of Influence
www.getwsodo.com the 6 frames thatwww.getwsodo.com engage critical thinking
3.
continued…
Probing reasons and evidence. This type of question is often used as a follow-up question. When a learner provides an explanation, you can use this form of inquiry to probe deeper into the reasoning and logic behind their presuppositions. Example: Can you provide an example of…? In copy, follow up a rhetorical question & answer with your interpretation of how someone might reach that false belief, and why that’s understandable. Copy Example (Continued): ... “Perhaps you’ve been told that by someone you respect, or perhaps it’s just an assumption… whatever the case I think you’ll admit that it is an important question for anyone who wants to become an entrepreneur. Below I’ll explain why copywriting is so important and how it can help you avoid the mistakes that so commonly doom an entrepreneurial venture before it even gets off the ground…”
4.
Analyzing perspectives. Encourages a learner to look at the situation or problem from an opposing angle, so that they are able to see the other side of the argument. This is one of the trickiest forms of Socratic questioning, as it can make a learner feel as though they are being attacked or alienated from their peers. As such, it should be used with caution. Example: Why is your solution better than…? In copy, invite the reader to consider how other people may have jumped to a different conclusion than them. Again exploring why one idea might be stronger than another, and why both may have their own merits.
5.
Probing consequences. Prompts learners to explore the consequences or repercussions of their assumptions and theories. Example: If you take that approach, what do you think might happen? In copy, explore the consequences or repercussions of their assumptions in a storyline form, list out the steps a false belief can lead to; along with the steps the right path can lead to. Copy Example (Continued): … “Let’s say you prioritize Networking as the first entrepreneurial skill you focus on learning. Of course it is a very important skill, but if you do not have a handle on how to communicate your message, your mission, and the benefits of your product (or even yourself) you’ll come to find that ‘networking’, even with amazing people, will turn into an exercise in making friends instead of building business deals. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, and indeed some of the best deals you will make will end up being with friends… however, better to come into the networking situation with a sound understanding of how to persuade someone to work with you, oh and it will very much help to have an offer that converts.”
6.
Questioning the question. Asks the learner to think about the reason for asking the question, itself. This can encourage them to examine why you are calling their assumption into question. Example: Why do you believe I asked this follow-up question? E.g.- why do you think it’s important to explore this perspective? In copy, again we’re going to explore this rhetorically. Invite them to think about why you asked the question to begin with, or why you called into-question their belief. Be honest and admit you have some self-interest involved, but share with them the deeper reasons… the higher-level reasons, explore why you actually do care about the subject. Copy Example (Continued): … “Now, you may rightfully question my motives here, after all you’ll find on this page an offer for a guide on Copywriting… so admittedly it works in my favor that ‘copy’ would be the skill I’d recommend. And I’m willing to admit that these other skills discussed are important, but fundamentally (and as we’ve discussed) if you don’t have a handle on your message and the tools of persuasion these skills other skills will be wasted! I’m going to share with you more concrete reasons why copy is indeed the number #1 skill you should start with, but I will also share with you how it can and does enhance the other necessary skills along the way. Source: Concepts: “Socratic Questions in eLearning” (https://link.sean.co/s-questions) by Christopher Pappas - Commentary, my own.
Defeat Their Demons 175
A’s of Influence
Defeat Their Demons
systematic persuasion
Whether it’s the Socratic Method, A’s of Influence, or any other method of logical exploration of an idea the point www.getwsodo.com
www.getwsodo.com
is, that, in our marketing, we need to leverage the power of systematic persuasion. Consider this your invitation to the life long study of the subject; it is much more vast of a topic than could ever be covered in one book. Knowing that there are well documented systems of persuasion out there is very much the first step on that journey. Put simply, the power of an argument fundamentally lies in how strong its supporting evidence is and how well we can position that evidence as trustworthy. If you aren’t sure how to handle certain objections, keep digging and keep searching for interesting ways to support your claims. If you find that you are WRONG about something, do not fall victim to the desire to ignore this new information; revise your beliefs and adjust your argument.
This refining of your beliefs is what will drive you to search for ever more potent ways to spread your message, unlocking ever more concrete evidence to support your claims, and more eloquent ways to dispel the objections, those demons, that inevitably rear their ugly heads.
a persuasive (complete) argument gives confidence & removes fear.
“The trick to education is to teach people in such a way that they don’t realize they’re learning until it’s too late.” — Harold Eugene Edgerton —
a muddy (incomplete) argument leaves our reader confused & frustrated
This approach will not only give your reader more confidence in you and your message, but it will also give your reader more confidence in themselves. How so? Ideas refined in the fires of critical thinking are much more empowering than those simply handed to us by others, and especially more so than ideas that are reality just assumptions.
added benefits
This may seem obvious, but in our world of constant interruptions and distractions, critical thinking is becoming ever rarer. This is why it’s critical that we always revisit the core benefits to our readers to maintain their attention; as soon as they start to think that this ‘doesn’t apply to me’ we will lose them. One way to do this is to simply make sure we weave in and out of a narrative that speaks to “you” (the reader), and what benefits specific claims will bring to them. To make sure you’ve started out on the right foot is, once you’ve finished a marketing piece, always revisit the introduction and be sure it includes a ‘claim of benefit’ clearly spelling out what’s in it for the reader (main benefit) if they consume the piece. (See the underlined sentence in the first paragraph of this section for example). 176
A’s of Influence
Proactively answering objections inoculates our reader from the virus of misunderstanding & ignorance. www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
Defeat Their Demons
First a reminder that all of the elements of the ‘A’s of Influence’ do not have to live in every single piece of copy. They should live as a culmination of all of your pieces of work. They are birthed from a single idea or mission, and the rest of your pieces of marketing are built to support that central theme. In fact, when people talk about rebranding they should be talking about revisiting that ‘central idea’ or ‘big idea’, not just a new logo or website. So no, every piece will not need to be overly complex with excessive break outs of evidence and rhetorical discussions. You can focus-in on one core ‘demon’ to battle or one core element of ‘forgiveness’ that they need to hear. Or, you can hone in on one positive aspect of your reader in relation to your topic and ‘fan that flame’, then swing into an internal fault that may be holding them back from reaching their end goal. Mixing and matching these elements is the name of the game.
Here’s another hypothetical way to look at it with the parts of the “A's of Influence” we’ve discussed so far in relation to a few marketing pieces…
Now, of course you can sell by using what you might call ‘flash in the pan’ copy, and perhaps it has its place. These more direct pieces of marketing focus less on informing our reader and more on brute-force fear-based persuasion. Elements of which can be very powerful on their own (urgency, scarcity, authority, social proof, etc) but without a larger picture, a larger message or theme they are simply manipulations instead of strategy and will only have short term benefits. Once you’ve been ‘found out’ you will lose their trust for good. The better way is to leverage these elements, but make sure they come second to your message. If we build up a strong foundational core in our marketing that is woven in with our products then persuasion will slowly become second nature... we will actively anticipate objections, instinctively know how our offer will influence someone’s aspirations, and be quick to come to the aid and forgive the shortcomings of the ignorant. 177
A’s of Influence
Presenting Proper Evidence to Support Your Claims www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com We’ve discussed some of the more abstract ways to views. (Eg. Kurzgesagt
Defeat Their Demons
– In a Nutshell: 10.5mil subs, Ted-Ed 10.3 mil subs, SmarterEveryDay 7.49mil, Vsauce 15mil subs). I’ll admit to probably spending the majority of my personal entertainment content time on these types of YouTube channels, so maybe I’m bias, but I do think it’s clear to see that if you can present facts in both a logical and entertaining way you’ll be much better off.
dispel our readers demons. Indeed the way we present our argument is important, but the facts we highlight matter too. For the most part we can share facts, figures, antidotes, and the like without getting too bogged down in them. We’re not writing a research paper, and the facts we share should be exposed only to the depth that is needed; otherwise we risk losing our readers interest.
So how should you conduct research and find properly supporting evidence for your claims? Later in this guide we’ll take a deep dive into research & development of content and arguments, but for now let this be your guiding principle: if you make a claim, you’ll need at least one convincing piece of logic or factual information to support it*.
We can (and should) link to the sources of facts we bring to the table, and anyone interested in learning more can certainly dig into those sources, but elaboration just for the sake of ‘sounding smart’ is arrogant and unnecessary. For example, sharing a statistic that supports our argument is great, but diving into the methodology used to formulate the statistic is overkill; unless that methodology used is important to our argument in some way.
* The irony of not supplying direct evidence to support this claim is not lost on me… however the ‘logical conclusion’ of needing “at least one” makes sense for 99% of people, if you’re the 1% who questions it - good! Go research how much evidence is actually needed to support a claim! The real answer is usually “it depends”, which is why I say you’ll need “at least one”, the principle simplified might be better stated as “the bigger the claim, the more evidence you’ll need to support it.”
This can be tough to balance, especially when we find ourselves interested in the nitty gritty aspects of our argument. If we find something that is indeed interesting to us that we want to share, just make sure and prioritize how it benefits our reader in our explanation. This, as all rules, has room for interpretation and experimentation. The advent of ‘edutainment’ content (content that teaches and is entertaining) is a good sign that this rule is leaning more towards allowing quite a bit more factual information come to life; especially in video. Some of the post popular content on YouTube, for example, is easy to digest educational content with millions upon millions of subscribers and billions of
An important note on the ‘edutainment’ approach, just because it’s interesting doesn’t mean it must be fun/ lighthearted/comical as many might conclude. You can be serious and entertaining as well. As with most things, balance will serve you well here. Keep it interesting, entertaining, but also on point.
Don’t be a fool… Dale Carnegie observed that “Any fool can criticize, complain, and condemn—and most fools do. But it takes character and self-control to be understanding and forgiving.” In a conversation between two people this can be easier to observe and practice, but how about in copy? Well, I believe it demonstrates well the principle that should guide how we systematically undo the objections that pop into the mind of our audience. We must approach the task with character, self control, understanding and forgiveness. Otherwise we risk alienating them, perhaps even inflating their Demons. I knew it! They’ll say when they sense we don’t understand them, or the issues they face… and as we’ve seen even if we do understand them; the way in which we present our perspective to them is just as important as the information itself. Often they’re coming into our message with presumptions that we’re “out to get them”, and who can blame them? Unless they know us they have no reason to not have their guard up, it’s only natural. We’ve taken a look at how we can lower that guard, but let's now look at how we can leverage their presumptions about us (and more importantly, others) to our message’s benefit. 178
A’s of Influence
5.
Attack Their www.getwsodo.com Enemies www.getwsodo.com
“It has been said that everyone you meet is engaged in a great struggle. The thing they are struggling with is their enemy. Whether it is another individual, a group, an illness, a setback, a rival philosophy or religion, or what have you, when you are engaged in a struggle, you are looking for others to join your side.” - Blair Warren | The Forbidden Keys to Persuasion
values are what define our character as an individual… Whether we choose to do ‘the right thing’ in a given situation often depends on how much our actions line up with our beliefs; beliefs that are tied to values. If you highly value integrity, you probably aren’t going to cheat on a test (even if no one would find out). If you highly value community you’ll probably invest time and energy into getting to know and engaging with people in your neighborhood. If you highly value learning, you’ll likely invest time in reading, studying, and pondering information. These values also define the “anti-values” that diametrically oppose our values. These opposing values are indeed an enemy to the values we... well... value. The ‘enemy’ of the value Courage is Cowardice. The ‘enemy’ of the value Integrity is Corruption. The ‘enemy’ of the value Wisdom is Willful Ignorance. Our audience holds many values dear to their hearts… our marketing messaging needs to both align with values we mutually care about, and disavow values we are opposed to.
By clearly identifying and mounting a defense against your audience's enemies (both internal and external) you can build a sturdy foundational bond of influence based on the mutual desire to rid our lives of the “enemy”. In this section, we’ll explore three main types of enemies. Then we’ll take a look at ways to identify and “attack” them, and why these types of attacks are crucial to standing out from the crowded market place. First, the more obvious enemies; the ones referred to by Blair Warren in the quote at the start of this section. The struggles that entangle our audience, that your product or service is designed to reduce or remove. Second, the ‘values’ based enemies. The battles for the ‘heart & soul’; the beliefs we use to define ourselves and our missions, and the conflicts that arise when these values are challenged. Third, the enemies we as marketers define. The “Boogie-Man Enemies”. Do children fear the boogie-man before they know what a boogie-man is? These are the enemies your audience may not know they should guard against… let’s shed some light on these enemies, and empower our audience with weapons against them. 181
A’s of Influence
5.
attack their enemies
www.getwsodo.com ENEMY #1: the struggle. www.getwsodo.com
In the ‘Hero’s Journey’ framework found later in this guide, you’ll find a detailed write-up on how to identify the ‘hopes and dreams’ of your audience, and how to define a ‘promised land’ for your audience. This ‘promised land’ is a place away from their anguishes as a result of us helping to ascend them to a better life, with not just your product, but the philosophies (values) that lead to the creation of it (more on this later).
The struggles on the way to that ‘promised land’ are, indeed, enemies. They can come in many forms, some of which are easy for us to understand and empathize with; e.g. not having enough money to make ends meet… and some we may have little to no experience facing; e.g. learning disability, physical pains, emotional trauma. Some of these enemies we can help them ‘destroy’, others we can only help them to fight off for a time. All the enemies we define should relate to our offer (what we’re selling) at some level; we can extrapolate how a problem relates to an even bigger problem but we wouldn’t want to sound like we’re just making struggles up for the sake of having a common enemy.
How to define ‘Struggle Enemies’... 1. List out all the features of your offer. Even small features that may seem less important than others. 2. Connect each feature with a struggle it helps to overcome. 3. Write out how you (or a customer) have felt about the struggle. 4. Rank struggles from the most significant problem to the smallest problem. Once we’ve identified the struggle, the enemy, then we must make clear how the features of our product/services serve as the ‘weapons’ that fight directly with said enemy or defend against its attacks. We must also make it clear that we understand the challenge itself. More on this below in ‘how we fight the enemy.
often our audience feels like they’re carrying the weight of the world… how can we help lighten the load? 182
A’s of Influence
5.
attack their enemies
www.getwsodo.com ENEMY #2: the value battle. www.getwsodo.com “People have an overwhelming desire to believe in something … your new belief system will bring you untold power.” - Robert Green | 48 Laws of Power
By connecting our brand & products/services with specific values that our audience strongly believes in our marketing (and business) can build the highest level bond a brand and customer can build. A values-based connection. This kind of connection lets us stand vastly apart from the low brow ‘car roof slapping’ feature comparison marketing that most entrepreneurs are forced to battle it out in.
Exhibit A: The Cult of Apple & Their Enemy… The PC The fact that you likely love them or hate them already proves my point. Steve Jobs was known for having many talents, but the billionaire founder of Apple might be least recognized for his remarkable marketing prowess. If you study what Steve did (as opposed to just what he said) to get attention, build a cultlike following, and create innovative messaging it starts to be very clear he had a methodical way of introducing and selling products. Many of Apple’s products were indeed innovative, however, most were follow up to technologies that had long been in the marketplace. The mouse, the touch screen, the mp3 player, the personal computer, even the iPhone, were all 2nd or 3rd generation products to the market, but guess what? The general population’s first introduction to these ‘revolutionary’ products was almost always popularized by Apple first. Yes, the quality of these specific products usually were leaps and bounds ahead of the competitors, which was a huge foundational piece of the success, but the messaging was just as important to keep them at the top of the market. Jobs wasn’t concerned with being first to market, he was concerned with being the best in the market, and having the best marketing in place to demonstrate the benefits of the product for the end-user. These two values - best in the market, and best demonstration of product benefits are the core values that drove Apple's success and connection with their ‘cult’, and allowed them to charge 2-3-5x what a similar ‘featured’ competitor product could charge. And they’re the values that drove the ‘war’ against competitors with lesser values. Polarizing consumers ‘for or against’ their products and their brand’s values...
Exhibit A:
i’m a mac. i’m a pc. 183
A’s of Influence
5.
attack their enemies
www.getwsodo.com ENEMY #2: the value battle. www.getwsodo.com
The ‘Values’ War. Apple Vs. Microsoft “The only problem with Microsoft is they just have no taste. They have absolutely no taste. And I don’t mean that in a small
way, I mean that in a big way, in the sense that they don’t think of original ideas, and they don’t bring much culture into their products.” - Steve Jobs To industry specialists who understand Apple’s addiction to building off already proven technology, this quote may come off quite hypocritical. Steve wasn’t talking to them, Steve was talking to his only concern, the consumer. Let’s take a quick look at a specific ‘attack your enemy’ campaign that Apple instigated in the mid-2000s with one goal… to go from 2nd choice to the only choice. The principles here will help us to build in strategic pieces of content that will separate us out as the best choice in a sea of options. There was a time from 2006 to 2009 when you couldn’t turn on the TV without seeing a “Hi, I’m a Mac - & I’m a PC” (Campaign Title: Get a Mac) advertisement from Apple. These ads (over 66 of them https://link.sean.co/66-ads) brilliantly painted Mac as the best alternative to the then marketplace leader Microsoft and the many PC manufacturers who used their software. To become the trillion-dollar company that they are today, they first needed to take market share. And how were they going to do it? Go after the industry monster, Microsoft. At the time Apple’s strategy was to define and attack an enemy (the PC) not to simply create traditional advertising demonstrating the awesomeness of Mac’s. They realized their target audience needed a clear comparison with what they were already familiar with, the context of “them vs. the enemy” would accomplish many desired effects beyond just building context… More importantly, it would also build the foundation of the ‘values’ Apple wanted to be identified with; and which they knew would attract the kind of customers they wanted. As Eric Jaffe writer at Fast Company put it: “At its core, the campaign suggested that people who buy Macs have fundamentally different personalities than those who prefer PCs.” Though there is some debate as to the root ‘cause and effect’ (S: link.sean.co/fc-1) of the campaigns, one thing is for sure, it captured attention and served as the foundation of
i’m a mac. i’m a pc.
rapid growth for Apple’s products & community.
Here are a few select examples from the campaign: Value Demonstrated
Ad Description
Enjoying Life Over Work
Better — Mac praises PC's ability with spreadsheets but explains that he is better with liferelated activities such as music, pictures, and movies. PC defensively asks what Mac means by "better," only to sheepishly claim a different definition when Mac tells him. Bean Counter—PC is trying to balance his budget, admitting that Vista's problems are frustrating PC users and it's time to take drastic action: spending almost all of the money on advertising. When Mac asks PC if he thinks the small amount of money left will fix Vista, PC Genius—Mac introduces PC to one of the Mac Geniuses from the Apple Retail Store's Genius Bar. PC tests the Genius, starting with math questions, which culminates in asking her, on a scale of one to ten, how much does he loathe Mac, to which she answers "Eleven." Surprised, PC Restarting—Mac and PC explain how they both have a lot in common, but their discussion is hampered by PC's unfortunate habit of freezing and restarting.
Product Quality Over ‘Buying Publicity’ Support of Community Quality & Stability
Compilation of 15 ‘funniest’ ‘Get a Mac’ advertisements: https://link.sean.co/15-examples 184
A’s of Influence
5.
attack their enemies
www.getwsodo.com ENEMY #2: the value battle. www.getwsodo.com
Eric Jaffe (Fast Company writer) sums the end game for Apple up very well as he referenced a New Yorker article titled “Twilight of The Brands” - Quote: “Brands are considered more fragile in the information age, but as the New Yorker‘s James Surowiecki recently pointed out (S: link.sean.co/ny-1), they retain power ‘where the brand association is integral to the experience of a product.’ That integral experience is exactly what Nevid’s research* reveals: Rather than sell Macs
application
to certain consumers, maybe these ads wanted to sell everyone on a Mac way of life.” You might find yourself thinking “this seems to mostly apply to billion-dollar brands battling it out at the top”, and that’s understandable considering the Apple Vs. Microsoft example. But the principles at play here apply to every business that sells to humans; because the forces at play here are built into human nature itself. Your brand can become something people desire to become a part of and make it a part of who they are. The easiest way to do this is to stand up for something. An idea. A concept. Something you truly believe in, and something that you know your audience also believes in. It could be as simple as Apple’s tagline: “Think Different”, or live inside your story of transformation from where you where to where you are now (as it relates to your offer). The sales page of this book, for example, the enemy I defined conceptually was “lack of knowledge of what truly drives sales in a business”, the implied value is “learning matters”; which coincidentally ties in well with my company’s tag line “never stop learning”. These weren’t as strategically planned out as they could have been, I didn’t sit down one day and decided that my audience probably LOVES to learn; I personally believe deeply in its ability to impact peoples lives, and that value tends to consistently rear its head in my marketing. The essence of my personal journey rides on the backbone of exploring knowledge and seeing where it can lead, so without much effort that value lives within my products and brand. Your values and your customer's values should live within each and every marketing piece you create, either as a core theme of the message; or as an additive ‘spice’ to add flavor to the course. And of course, it never hurts to “call to arms” those who share your values to “battle against” the villainy that is those who do not share your mutual values.
Select Examples of Values… Which three best define your product/service/brand? Accountability | Beauty | Boldness | Calmness | Compassion | Confidence | Cooperation | Courage | Creativity | Dependability | Discipline | Diversity | Education (Learning) | Excellence | Experience | Focus | Flexibility | Focus | Freedom | Growth | Happiness | Health | Honesty | Humility | Humor | Integrity | Intimacy | Leadership | Love | Loyalty | Mindfulness | Openness | Optimism | Originality | Passion | Professionalism | Reason (or Logic) | Respect | Sacrifice | Security | Sensitivity | Sensuality | Simplicity | Significance | Stability | Strength | Success | Support | Timeliness | Trust | Uniqueness | Vision | Warmth | Wisdom For the full list see “The Ultimate List of Core Values” at https://link.sean.co/100-values We’ll explore the concept of ‘values-based marketing’ in more depth in further sections of this book, but for now, don’t overthink it; especially if you’re the main cog in your marketing machine, let the values that naturally drive you and got you to where you are to serve as the foundation, and as you grow you will find that your audience will rally around your causes, and attack the enemy’s that oppose it.
*
https://link.sean.co/mac-pc-study “I'm a Mac” versus “I'm a PC”: Personality Differences between Mac and PC Users in a College Sample - Jeffrey S. Nevid Amy Pastva
185
A’s of Influence
5.
attack their enemies
www.getwsodo.com ENEMY #3: the ‘boogie-man’ www.getwsodo.com
“The real enemy of truth is not ignorance, doubt, or even disbelief. It is false knowledge.” - Lee McIntyre | Respecting Truth “The [enemy] [problem with] [common belief] of x._____ is not y._____, it’s z._____.” I love how this structure has the potential to deliver such an impactful new enemy to our audience. One that they didn’t see because it was lingering in the dark, waiting for the right moment to strike. One that we can help them vanquish by giving them the required revelations and tools. This “new monster” gives us lots of potential content & marketing pieces to work with and also taps into “Proving Presumptions” as discussed earlier, along with “Forgiving Their Faults”, and overall might just be one of the best places to start if you’re not sure what to write about.
Example: “Your product isn’t “not selling” because of its quality, or even your lack of experience. It’s not selling because your messaging isn’t connecting with your audience.” This is part of the angle I took on the sales page for this book, I defined a new enemy for them to consider - messaging that doesn’t connect. Much that follows on the page is support for that claim, while also raising the ‘stakes’, but even standing on its own the logic is sound if someone hasn’t considered that this might indeed be their issue. I’m giving them a new enemy, a new target for their frustrations, and then I proceed to give them the tool to vanquish it (the book). We can borrow some powerful message crafting strategies from fiction to help us better understand the powers at work here... These types of content pieces also fuel what we might call “tension” within your writing. ‘Tension’ is what makes things matter, as the book “Master Plots” by Ronald Tobias tells us “without tension, there is no plot.” Tension (or conflict) is what gives the plot it’s “point”, it gives the audience something to care about; it defines the stakes for everyone involved. The Stakes For The Example Above: 1.) Not making any sales on the product you know is great and will help people. 2.) Your approach to selling may be fundamentally flawed. These points are indeed drive up angst in the reader (implying that their understanding is flawed), hold attention (by implying an answer to the problem), and arouse curiosity in the solution.
186
A’s of Influence
5.
attack their enemies
www.getwsodo.com ENEMY #3: the ‘boogie-man’ www.getwsodo.com
Growing Tension & Raising The Stakes… what we can learn from fiction writing. The “Master Plots” book goes on to explain that we need to build tension from “the local tension” [the issue at hand] to a more universal issue [the bigger problem]…He uses the example of a love story involving a girl's refusal to marry her lover because of his drinking problem. The ‘local tension’ is the refusal of his marriage proposal at the moment, this tension doesn’t go beyond those immediately involved. The larger conflict or ‘universal tension’ is the boy’s reaction to the rejection; the universal question of if he values his love more than his drinking; if he can face addiction and overcome it, and eventually can he deal with any setbacks that may find him along the way. The ‘plot thickens’, as they say, as we follow his journey to either redemption or destruction. This is all to say that we can’t just stop at our main claim; “that an enemy is out to stop them from reaching their goal”. We must ‘deepen the tension’ by transitioning from the “local tension” (e.g. lack of sales because of poor messaging) to the larger (universal) issues at hand… which, for my sales page, was the detailed argument I built around why COPYWRITING is the solution to the problem. This was all framed around the theme that there are certain ‘entrepreneurial skills’ that are more important than others. All of which live under that controversial universal topic: what really drives success. The end goal of our sales copy is the same as any Hollywood drama, to keep the audience interested and caring. We can use aspects from drama or comedy, but even the simple act of teaching our reader something new about facing a problem can be enough to show that we care, and hold their interest. We must always clearly define what’s at stake for them, both immediately and in the long term; while also clearly defining the real issues behind the problems they’re facing… all tied neatly together on a journey leading them to our ‘offer’ as the solution. We’ll cover this process in a step by step format in the next copywriting framework section “The Contrarian Copy Structure”.
local tension - immediate consequences
187
universal tension big picture consequence
A’s of Influence
5.
attack their enemies
www.getwsodo.com ENEMY #3: the ‘boogie-man’ www.getwsodo.com
Putting it all together: How to define & fight these enemies… Our marketing defines the enemies, our ‘brand’ understands them, our product/service vanquishes them.
Do you have nasty bed bugs? {struggle enemy} We hate {value} those seemingly impossible to get rid of monsters as much as you do! The problem with most sprays on the market today isn’t just that they aren’t as effective as they used to be {boogie-man (local tension)}, it’s that they can be astonishingly unhealthy {boogie-man (universal tension)}! That’s why we created Bed Bug Bomb. The fastest {value} way to get rid of bed bugs when nothing else seems to work {value}, period! {solution} This somewhat oversimplified example holds the foundational units of how we define the enemy, it’s basic features, our mutual disdain for it, and an introduction to our offer. The real enemy here is the bed bugs, but there are also implied “value” enemies: the speed of removing them / when nothing else works. We could even continue to clarify “boogie-man enemies”, like health risks to their family, destruction to clothing, how the bugs have become resistant to competitors sprays, etc, etc. The goal isn’t to generate needless fear, as much as it is to empower our reader with understanding while also taking a stand for what we believe in. People can tell if you’re ‘fear-mongering’ to manipulate them, and will quickly be turned off to your message. So, keep the monsters real - even if you wish to get creative with how big their teeth are.
“A man with no enemies is a man with no character.” - Paul Newman
A’s of Influence That Apply Arousal ~ tap into the emotional appeal of what you’re selling. Angst ~ ratchet up, then remove your audiences pain. Attitude ~ what is it now and what do we want it to be. Authority ~ position & prove ourselves as trustworthy advisors. Ascension ~ guiding your audience through the stages of growth Affirm ~ take a stand for what you know to be true. Associate ~ associate your brand with positive familiarity. Aggravate ~ aggravate & address your audience’s built in conflicts. Animate ~ give life to your content & marketing. 188
A’s of Influence 188
learning how to learn: How to Study Other People’s Marketing www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com Using the A’s of Influence & The 5 Pillars of Persuasion Beyond just “telling you” how to apply the different strategies in this guide I hope it's clear that I also wan’t to give you the means to study them in the real world. Much of what I’ve learned in the world of marketing didn’t come from books or courses, it came from dissection of other peoples work. Studying the anatomy of their writing. Below is an exercise to help you can use to dissect content and learn from its individual parts.
exercise observing the framework in action 1. Search Out & Save Content You Find Persuasive and Identify (highlight) Where the Individual is “Fanning The Flames” of their audience. 2. Highlighting what parts you found particularly persuasive and match them to the 5 foundations of persuasion. 3. Bonus Step - Make note in your Copy Research Journal (you have one right?) of the particularly persuasive pieces of writing you find and break down their structure.
example
I found a Facebook post by Alex Becker to be particularly persuasive; not necessarily to myself as much as to his target audience due to the massive amount of engagement the post had. - See full document at http://link.sean.co/ab-post
going further… • Consider your own writing, in what ways can you better support the dreams and desires of your own audience? • Take a close look at past pieces you’ve created — where did you excel in this area, and where are specific area’s you could spice up your writing with more flames of desire?
• If possible take a current marketing piece (sales page, lead page, email) that is active… Edit the piece and add more about the readers dreams and goals, perhaps at the expense of any grand standing you may do about yourself or your brand / product. Make it MORE about them, less about you.
• If you’re having trouble getting into the mind of your audience, see if you can arrange an interview with a successful buyer. Dig into the fears, desires, and stories they’re willing to share about “the before times”; before reaching their goal with your product or service. 192
A’s of Influence
framework .2
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
the
Contrarian Copy Structure by sean vosler This structure alone has generated millions of dollars in sales for myself and my clients.
“ ‘eureka!’ can be an answer to a question we have never asked. It can be the articulation of a sudden and unforeseen idea or the expression of a magic moment that throws us into a new world. It acts like a radiant sunbeam that comes out of the blue and illuminates a dim past, opening a new, dynamic horizon.” ― Erik Pevernagie, Waiting for Eureka
193
preface
start with structure www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
Everything, even the most complex systems, can be broken down into easy to follow steps. In the following method you'll find what I've found to be the most persuasive content outline structure ever. I always reference this guide whenever I start to write ANY marketing material or content piece or campaign. It's worth so much in the right hands and is without a doubt one of the most powerful tools in any entrepreneur's tool chest. The beauty is in its simplicity, and it simply works. Before I share that outline with you, some context will go a long way to helping you implement the outline. Most people don't know this but I actually went to school for art... though I feel like I wasted a solid $40k on that degree there was one key point I took away from my time there. That point? Everything, even the most complex systems, can be broken down into easy to follow steps.
an advantage, the best of the best don't rely solely on talent... they rely on systems and proven tactics. Not to mention they aren't afraid of a little deliberate practice! Now let's say you don't really want to learn how to draw like an expert, you just need a drawing... There is an alternative to learning and practicing all those steps. It's called tracing. You know, take out a transparent piece of paper, place it over a picture, and start following the lines with your pen… Sure it sounds like cheating, but guess what - you got your drawing didn't you? Now I still believe you should learn the "rules and tools" as well, that’s what this books all about. However, there's nothing wrong with finding ways to save time. In fact, the act of ‘tracing’ is one way to practice your skills. It adds crucial mechanical action.
For example... Want to learn how to draw? If your goal is to truly improve, you don't just pick up a pen and paper and start sketching... if you do 1.) you'll find yourself frustrated with the slowness of your progress, leading to an inevitable questioning voice spouting "I'm just not good at this" around in your mind. 2.) Even if you push your way through it and force yourself to draw day after day you'll eventually realize there is a much more efficient & effective way to learn the skill. Break down the process of drawing into its most fundamental steps, then follow and practice them. (Don't worry, I'm not going to try and sell you a book on Drawing that I'm totally not writing.) Fortunately, you don't have to personally figure out each step and break it down, there's plenty of books and guides on the subject. It's where you should start if you want to learn any skill. So many people today live by the false assumption that they're naturally "either good or bad" at a specific skill. While yes, people do have natural talents that can give
"I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who had practiced one kick 10,000 times." — Bruce Lee This "tracing method" can be applied to writing marketing materials as well. We can start with an outline of what works, and build from there. Starting with a framework/structure will allow us to… 1. Blast through writer's block and free up time. 2. Construct our writing on a foundation based on techniques that have proven to work. 3. Avoid a lot of the guesswork behind the 'structure' of our content so we can focus on the core message. 4. And, eventually, we can build upon that framework to add our own innovations and approaches. With that in mind on the following pages I’ll hand you a strategy outline that you can start using today, along with a break down of how and why it works.
194
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
I’ve been using this copywriting structure for years now, and it has served as the starting point for nearly all my pieces. It’s perfect for creating webinars, landing pages, content marketing video scripts, and just about everything in between. It might be easier to list out the area’s it’s not best to use.
when to use the
Even though you can accomplish all the key aspects of the outline in around a paragraph of copy, principally this outline works best in longer form content. You CAN take bits and pieces and use them in ‘brand awareness marketing’ but I venture that 90% of the readers of this guide aren’t running Coca Cola level advertising campaigns where you’re paying 5 to 6 figures to plaster a logo on a billboard. I can’t say you’d need this structure for those types of campaigns.
Contrarian Copy Structure
For everything else? YES, use this structure as a starting point…
some example applications
• Sales Pages - if you’re selling a product or service it NEEDS to have a sales page, not just a page where you list out its features and add a ‘contact us’ form. I’m talkin’ full fledged persuasive argument sales page that should both educate and pre-qualify any lead before they purchase. • Email Campaigns - Short punchy emails are fine, this structure isn’t about adding length for the fun of it… however, the most effective emails do more than just ‘get a click’, they inform and inspire action. I’d rather have less clicks and more conversions personally. I’ve written close to 1,000 emails with this structure for myself and clients, and have generated a trackable 40m in sales, not all sales have come from email of course, but if earnings per email written was a metric in my business I’d be sitting on about $40,000 per email in revenue generated. • Webinars - Webinars are basically a sales page with interaction. This structure can give you a great starting point for building out a webinar that converts, while also taking out a lot of the confusion of “what should be in it”, which in itself can be a headache. • Content Marketing - Blogs, YouTube Videos, even social media posts can harness the power of this copy structure. Having this type of content with no key ‘insights’ for your audience will lead to a graveyard of inactive content that was a waste of time to create and is giving little to no value to anyone. • ‘Cornerstone Content’ - Is it better to have 100 mediocre blog posts that get a small trickle of visitors, or a few heavy hitting, indepth, and most importantly USEFUL content pieces? I think you know the answer. The key to cornerstone content is the benefits they themselves can give a reader BEFORE they buy. It’s giving them a sample of what it’s like to work with you, and when done well can serve as the foundation of a business’ traffic strategy. Plant value, reap the rewards. Oh yea, all good cornerstone content pieces follow this core structure. • Social Media Content - You’ve probably seen long form “rants” on social media, especially in the coaching industry… they do this for a few reasons (all discussed in this section) build authority, give value, drive traffic. The best of the best at this ‘game’ use this copy structure. • Advertisements - This is huge. Some of the best converting ads out there right now on many different platforms (specifically YouTube & Facebook) follow this structure to a T… Don’t be afraid of long(er) ads, they convert because they deliver more than just ‘buy now!’ messaging. We’ll be breaking down quite a few in this section as examples. Without further adieu on the next page you’ll find the outline of the Contrarian Copy Structure itself. Now, if you “get it”, as in you have experience with each of the pieces, you can easily start using this outline today. I highly recommend reviewing the materials after the outline as they will give you the fuel and experience you’ll need to get the most out of the outline... 195
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
the
Contrarian Copy Structure by sean vosler 1. ATTENTION - Hook to capture & maintain attention - Position the problem and why it's important - Allegory/Metaphor to get into readers head, make them feel understood 2. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT - What most people think. (the misconception) 3. AGGRAVATE - Here’s the truth on the matter. (the claim) 4. AUTHORITY - Here's why it's the truth. (the proof) - Scientific research - Logical examples - Emotional examples 5. ANGST - Here's the damage that the common belief has on those who believe it. (The stakes)
- What the damage has done in the readers life - What continued belief in the wrong way will lead to - problem of the problem (make a list) 6. AMBIGUITY - Here’s what others or author has done to fix it, and what you can do… (giving clarity) - What they need to do now to fix things. - The specific steps (reduce ambiguity) - Beliefs changed - How to remind self when times are difficult to maintain change 7. APPEAL - Summary of benefits & call to action
You have the recipe, now let’s look at each ingredient and how they work together to create persuasive marketing copy…
7FigureMarketingCopy.com 196
the
Contrarian Copy Structure by sean vosler www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
Starting With The End in Mind…
The End Goal
Build an unyielding bond of trust by gifting our reader an epiphany. … converting them not just into a buyer, but a believer.
eureka! the epiphany creation process… An epiphany (from the ancient Greek ἐπιφάνεια, epiphanea, "manifestation, striking appearance") is an experience of a sudden and striking realization. An epiphany is light when an enlightening realization allows a problem or situation to be understood from a new and deeper perspective. When we give someone an epiphany there is a powerful bond of trust created in the process.
our 1. acknowledge readers current perspective
the missing piece…
we create a lasting bond of trust
introduce a
reader experiences an
new and deeper perspective
enlightening realization
The “missing piece” is where the Contrarian Copy Structure shines it’s light, it is the piece that separates the mediocre copywriter, and the master copywriter. 197
Aesop'swww.getwsodo.com Fable - The Fox & The Grapes
www.getwsodo.com
the missing piece
Harnessing the Power
of Belief Disharmony
“A Fox one day spied a beautiful bunch of ripe grapes hanging from a vine trained along the branches of a tree. The grapes seemed ready to burst with juice, and the Fox's mouth watered as he gazed longingly at them. The bunch hung from a high branch, and the Fox had to jump for it. The first time he jumped he missed it by a long way. So he walked off a short distance and took a running leap at it, only to fall short once more. Again and again he tried, but in vain. Now he sat down and looked at the grapes in disgust. "What a fool I am," he said. "Here I am wearing myself out to get a bunch of sour grapes that are not worth gaping for." And off he walked very, very scornfully.”
there are many who pretend to despise and belittle that which is beyond their reach… To most, this is an obstacle… for us… it's an opportunity.
198
the missing piece
Harnessing the Power www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
of Belief Disharmony
Why didn’t the fox want the juicy grapes after it’s failure
epiphany there?) The reader may not be audibly replying
to reach them… they didn’t suddenly become sour, what
to us, but in their subconscious they are processing
soured was the Fox’s mindset.
responses to the information we present. Put simply, they’re figuratively nodding yes or no to what we’re
Mindset, or heuristics (fancy word) is a “thought process”
saying.
or “mental shortcut”. They’re the actions and reactions that our minds produce when new information is
This makes sense doesn’t it? You just agreed or disagreed
introduced. They’re happening all the time, and are
with that question didn’t you… knew it.
largely subconscious.
Throughout the following sections and parts of the
A type of ‘heuristic’ happened to our Fox in the Aesop
Contrarian Copy structure I’ll share with you many
Fable, the Fox & The Grapes. When the fox couldn’t
different ways to engage the reader in this conversation,
reach the grapes he desired, after much effort, he
building trust along the way. We’ll explore how to give
concluded that he actually didn’t want those sour grapes.
sufficient replies to objections, how to build rapport
He allowed his failure to reach the grapes, not reality,
through acknowledgement, and a close look at why
color his opinion of the grapes and his desire to reach
creating an epiphany is, perhaps, the most powerful way
them. This story is meant as a life lesson, but is a great
to build trust.
illustration of how our audience can jump to illogical
First we must deal with a potentially dangerous side
conclusions about information we present to them.
effect of introducing new ideas, new ideas which are
These illogical responses can be triggered in our copy if
critical to the epiphany creation process. This is the
we’re not careful. Or, if we know what we’re doing, we can
“Missing Piece”, and can be dangerous ground if we’re
very much harness their power.
not careful.
Our End Goal - Building a Bond of Trust
Since all the other elements of trust building rely on overcoming one particularly thorny part of human
Large swaths of this book are focused on building trust.
nature, one that threatens to derail any and all progress
Trust through teaching, trust through understanding our
we might make in engaging a
reader better, trust through giving… it’s quite obvious
reader and building trust, let’s
that if someone’s going to invest in our product or
start there.
service they’re going to need to trust us. And the higher the importance of the product to their life, the higher the
Let’s turn this “problem” into an
bond of trust that is needed.
opportunity.
This begs the question, what builds trust? Off the top of
What specifically is that problem?
your head you could probably can distill many natural
When we introduce new ideas or
strategies to build trust with another person, parts of us
beliefs we provoked what I like to call
deep down understand what is trustworthy and what is
“belief disharmony”, or as it’s better
not. However, is gaining trust in a conversation; a
known in scientific circles...
friendship, or relationship, different than the one way
cognitive dissonance.
conversation we’re having through our writing? How can we build trust if we’re the only one doing the talking? First and foremost we need to understand that copywriting, indeed most informal non-fiction writing, is in reality an active conversation. (Did you have a slight 199
deep dive
Harnessing the Power www.getwsodo.com of Belief Disharmony www.getwsodo.com in marketing
“Any fool can know. The point is to understand.” ― Albert Einstein “OUCH! That *bleeping* hurts!” A sensible reaction to receiving an electrical shock. Would you believe your mind experiences a similar sensation when it’s introduced to a new idea or belief that conflicts with an existing one? Below I’ll dive into the science behind this “shock”, but more importantly, this bit of knowledge (that there’s a literal physiological response to conflicting 1
information in our reader) should make any good marketer wonder, how can I use this to improve my marketing? … Not your first response? It honestly wasn’t mine either, but after applying the principles behind it into my marketing the results spoke for themselves. They’re directly responsible for copy that has generated well over 8-figures in sales.
un-fun fact… An electric eel can create a potential charge of over 500 volts.
On the following pages I will break down those principles, but first - let’s take a closer look at the psychology behind this very natural reaction.
Marketing, in its most fundamental form, has one main goal. To change someone's behavior. This is also the goal of persuasion and influence, where they may only differ is in the end goal. In marketing, the end goal is to eventually create a transaction, a sale. That transaction isn’t just exchanging a good or service for money, it’s also a transaction of trust. Trust that your way of doing things is right and that they will benefit from following your way; often at the expense of what they, your audience, currently thinks is the correct way. In psychology, the state of being introduced to a new idea that conflicts with an existing idea is called cognitive dissonance. The “dissonance” or disharmony of belief (cognition) must be resolved. It is mentally and physically uncomfortable to hold onto two conflicting ideas for too long. Put simply, when confronted with facts that contradict beliefs, ideals, and values, people will try to find a way to resolve 2
the contradiction to reduce their discomfort.
We, as marketers, are often introducing new ideas into the mind of our prospects, and it can provoke discomfort. You may think that making your audience uncomfortable is a terrible idea, how could that possibly be good for a brand? Well, another part of our job is to help them resolve the discomfort; this can be accomplished by empathetically presenting not just the facts, but also reduce the pain of change that comes along with attempting new behavior and learning new ideas. All resulting in a stronger bond of trust between us and our reader. 200
deep dive
Harnessing the Power of Belief Disharmony www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
in marketing
Introducing cognitive dissonance to someone is like flipping a switch that delivers a consistent, mild electric shock of discomfort. Their desire is to quickly turn off the switch [resolve the disharmony], and our job is to lead them to the switch. It is a natural self defense “shock” that comes with all new ideas that conflict with existing ones. To resolve the cognitive dissonance, to turn off the switch, the person must make a choice… to accept, refute, or acknowledge and ignore the new information. Our goal in building an argument is not just to get someone to accept that we are right, but also to change their behavior based on that acceptance. If we prove our point, yet they do not change, we’ve won the battle but lost the war. It’s not enough to just present the facts and hope our reader changes their beliefs (wouldn’t that be great), we must present it in a specialized way that guides them to a desire for change. Put Simply: TRUE INFLUENCE lies in our ability to deliver an argument in a specific way that inspires an alliance of ideas and creates an overwhelming desire to change one’s behavior to match the new ‘truths’.
Cognitive dissonance is a condition that we can choose to provoke. caveat… There are two conditions that must be present in the person reading your argument to create real cognitive dissonance, for it to be an idea that conflicts with their current belief system… Condition One: The person must feel or have control over whether they have a choice in the matter, they must believe it is something that they have an option or ability to change. • Factual Belief: If you try and convince someone who’s colorblind that something is, in fact, a color that they do not have a choice in seeing, then it doesn’t matter if they believe you or not - they literally have no choice in the matter one way or the other. Or a more marketing-related example, maybe they are required to purchase (by contract or otherwise) from a competitor or do not have the ability to make purchase decisions for the company, in this case even the best case for your product or service doesn’t matter - they have no choice in the matter. • Layered Misplaced Beliefs: If someone believes “they’re not the type of person who does that” or the like, as in, they don’t refute your argument but feel they can’t make a choice (even if they can) then you must first address the underlying misplaced belief first. E.G. Convince them that “they are, indeed, the kind of person who does that” before you can continue to convincing them of anything else. Condition Two: There must be clear and meaningful consequences (stakes), they must care about the effect of the belief.
• If they don’t care, or you do a poor job convincing them that they should, then you’re not going to create the conditions necessary for legitimate cognitive dissonance.
• If there are no clear negative consequences to the inconsistency that comes with knowing their idea and your new idea, then there’s no real reason for them to address the issue.
Next: Let’s look at some examples…
201
examples of belief disharmony being used in marketing www.getwsodo.com Let’s look at some real world examples of cognitive dissonance being provoked in marketing pieces. We’ll look at a few www.getwsodo.com different mediums, and later in this section we’ll look at how the dissonance is resolved in the rest of the piece.
Example…
Common Belief Being Challenged…
Email Subject: can going to college ruin your life?
Common Belief: “College is necessary for a good life.” Challenge to be proven: There are other routs to success other than college.
Email Body: … Most people assume you have to "hustle" 100’s or 1000's of hours before receiving your first five or six-figure month, sacrificing happiness and sleep in the meantime. The truth is... with the right system, it can happen faster than you
Common Belief: “You must hustle and sacrifice many hours to make a good living.” Challenge to be proven: With the right system you can reach your end goal results faster than you ever thought possible.
ever thought possible, and without taking all your time. Read on to learn how… Email Body: … The truth is, a lot of you probably have a product or business idea you want to create. At the end of the day there’s really only one metric that will determine if it’s going to be successful or not; Does it bring enough value to the end-user?
Email Subject: secret behind 20m in revenue by 27 + (one important shift in perspective)
Common Belief: “There are many metrics to determine whether a product will be successful.” Challenge to be proven: The metric “does it bring enough value to the end user” is the core concern of anyone who wants to make a business idea successful.
Common Belief: “1. I don’t have what it takes to make lots of money. 2. Making money takes a very long time” Challenge to be proven: There is an important shift in perspective that must take place before you can make X amount in a short period of time.
Ad to “Blog” Post (native ad) Step #1: Ad
Common Belief: “You can't time the market.” Challenge to be proven: With the right information you can time the market, similar to how the writer does; and can result in ‘setting your life free’.
striking balance Step #2: Content Piece
The challenge to the common belief is often at the beginning of the marketing piece, serving as the attention grabber as well as the challenge; but doesn't have to be. The challenge can also range in ‘intensity’, less intensity will be easier to prove with less evidence; but may also result in the claim not having high enough stakes to matter to the reader. However, too 'hot' of a claim may result in the reader simply disregarding the concept completely… it's just too crazy to even consider. Balance is important.
202 to provoking belief disharmony in detail… Next: Let’s look at each step
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
A Peak Inside The Subconscious What happens after we introduce a new ‘contrarian’ idea to our reader… Before we learn how to best support our claims first we must understand the “resolution process” that’s experienced when someone is confronted with our new idea or belief that conflicts with theirs. By understanding this process we can design an argument in a way that combats the conclusions we don’t want our reader to make.
process of resolving disharmony
1. They can change their initial beliefs, change their mind to your way of thinking and accept your idea. A. Resulting in a change of behavior to match their new beliefs. B. Resulting in acknowledgment that you are correct, but not changing their behavior. 2. They can dispute your idea. A. Ideally, you’ve made a strong enough argument to make doing this impossible without them being factually incorrect. B. If this is the case you need to revisit your argument, search for where your logic or emotion breaks and loses your reader (more on this later). 3. They can pull in new ideas outside the initial two to help rationalize their own idea against yours. A. Ideally, you will have acknowledged other alternative ideas and systematically refute them throughout your argument. If they acknowledge you are correct, yet do not change their behavior, they are basically choosing to live with the effects (including physiological discomfort) of having those two conflicting ideas living in their mind at once. They resolve this conflict by simply rationalize “you’re right, but I don’t care.” They rationalize that the debate itself is not important. You’ll know this is the case if your message doesn’t convert into sales, but this can be fixed…
if your message doesn't convert
1. Examine your argument for lack of empathy, if you are simply blasting their idea as ‘wrong’, even with cleancut proof on your end, their emotions will drive them away from you because they feel you don’t understand them. Again, it’s better to win the war; even if you must sacrifice a battle or two. - Example: If you’re trying to convince someone to buy your product to overcome addiction to vaping, yet you never acknowledge that ‘yes it is difficult to cut the cravings, and yes many people have tried to quit and failed’ they may conclude that you simply don’t understand their very personal struggle. 2. Make sure you’re making the high stakes clear. If they don’t agree on the premise of your argument and what it actually means in their real-life (the negative consequences of not accepting your argument and changing) then you need to make sure you have made the stakes clear enough. - Example: If you were trying to convince someone to quit vaping, yet you didn’t make it clear (and they didn’t know) that it causes cancer and reduces life span significantly than, well, why should they care? 3. It’s worth noting that sometimes you simply can’t change someone's mind if it is too deeply entrenched in a belief; (if the denial is just too thick) not without resorting to means that wouldn’t be worth the cost in time 203 and energy… you’re not going to host an intervention to make a sale. More on these steps later.
let’s take a look at each step in the outline in detail
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
Step 1: Acknowledge a false belief or misconception, one that is held commonly among their community; and likely by them as well…
from the outline
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT - Here’s what most people think.
All sales messages are, at the most fundamental level, an argument for or against something. After all, we’re working to convince someone (argue) that they should buy our product or service aren't we? Most see arguments as an ugly event, but they can be beautiful. For instance, a tactful argument with someone as to why they need to change a bad habit could save someones life. An argument doesn't have to be a battle, it can be a dance. Now, to have an argument you need a point of contention. This can be a common misconception in your field (e.g. many people think XYZ is complicated, however, it’s actually very simple.) or you can simply take a stance or claim that may seem to be “extreme” or “wrong" without more context, which you will then give. The goal is to stir emotions & inspire thought by calling into question the readers accepted reality, then provide them with an alternate path, the positive path of change. For example, on the sales page for this book, I made the claim that copywriting is the #1 skill entrepreneurs need to learn to be successful. This challenges what many people think are the most important skill is, even if they’ve never given it serious thought… the title of the page subconsciously asks you to consider “what is the most important skill?”. Most people visiting the page will have some notion of what they think that skill is, and, unless they are copywriters, they likely will not guess that the skill I’ll be talking about is ‘copywriting’.
The title of the sales page asks you to consider “what is the most valuable skill?”
2: Acknowledgement - define what
It also suggests that there is a most valuable
most people think are the most important skills.
skill, which in itself may be controversial and beg to be proven right or wrong.
206
from the outline
AGGRAVATE - Here’s the truth on the matter. (claim)
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
“Here's the truth…" Staple the following statement to your metaphorical forehead: “The goal isn’t only to be right, it’s too change a belief.” In the heat of trying to prove your point you may resort to shortcuts, resulting in your words hosting resentment and lack of empathy for the fact that you are, in essence, attacking someone else’s belief.
Step 2: Introduce a counter “contagion” idea (claim) that goes against their current understanding. An idea that can not logically live alongside their current understanding, like a match to gasoline. On my sales page the spark point of cognitive dissonance starts when I claim that copywriting is the most important skill and it doesn’t match what they think is the most important skill. Their goal is now to resolve the ‘dissonance' in their mind. Our goal must now is to support the argument in a way that gently persuades the reader that the claim is true, and (more importantly) that it’s in their best interest to put that new knowledge into practical application in their lives. Ideally, by buying the book I’m advertising on the page. Note: If they DID think the skill is copywriting, as in they agree, then I’m ‘preaching to the choir’, which is never a bad thing! The rest of the argument just goes to reaffirm their position and the 'call to action’ is more about improving their current mission than it is about changing it. At this point, the reader experiences the effects of cognitive dissonance and has 4 main options to resolve the internal conflict of ideas… And, as noted, it must be resolved in one way or another.
207
The Contrarian Copy Structure in Action
breakdown it’s not a wheel, it’s a carousel. www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
Don Draper Mad Men Pitch
Context: If you’ve never seen the show Mad Men, Don Draper is an unwieldy but brilliant pitchman for an advertising agency in NYC during the golden age of advertising. The show follows his often deplorable personal life along with occasional glimpses into his brilliance when it comes to advertising. Even though the show is fictional, they often would work in real advertising campaigns from the past. A particular scene in season 1 episode 13 “The Carousel” captures Don’s brilliance in both pitch and concept. The audience of the pitch, his clients from Kodak, came in with their idea of what to focus on in their new advertising campaign (for a slide projector); they wanted to focus on the wheel, technology. Which, as you’ll see, Don gracefully sidesteps this suggestion and transitions into his concept for the campaign, something much more universal than a wheel, something much more profound… First I recommend watching (3 minutes) the full scene here: https://link.sean.co/mm-scene
Client 1: So have you figured out a way to work the wheel into it. Client 2: We know it's hard because wheels aren't really seen as exciting technology even though they are the original. Don Draper: Well, technology is a glittering lure. But there is the rare occasion when the public can be engaged on a level beyond flash. If they have a sentimental bond with the product. My first job I was in-house at a fur company with this old pro copywriter Greek named Teddy… Teddy told me the most important idea in advertising is new. It creates an itch. You simply put your product in there as a kind of, calamine lotion. He also talked about a deeper bond with the product... Nostalgia. It's delicate… but Potent.
Note that the original idea (tech/new) doesn’t have to be wrong, it’s just not as good as your option.
Acknowledgement - what most people think: new/technology is most important. Attention - a curiosity hook with a strong claim (higher level engagement). Aggravate - subtlety setting the stakes by establishing the risk of technology focus (it’s only a “flash”) - and that there is a much more powerful tool (nostalgia) Authority - by building out a story around the concept it both makes it more compelling while also adding authority beyond just Don’s word.
Teddy told me that in Greek, nostalgia literally means the pain
Angst - Don unfolds why nostalgia is so
from an old wound. It's a twinge in your heart. Far more
powerful. Even more powerful than ‘the
powerful than memory alone.
most important idea in advertising’ (new).
This device (the clients product), isn't a space ship. It's a time
Ambiguity - Don clarifies his position, and vividly sets the tone for what we all are starting to realize - it's not always about new, sometimes it's about nostalgia.
machine. It goes backwards, forwards. Takes us to a place. Where we ache to go again. It's not called the wheel. It's called the carousel.
Notice: Evidence to support an argument doesn't have to be always be strictly fact based, emotional appeal goes a long way to prove a point.
Let's us travel the way a child travels. Around and around, and
Appeal - at this point Don doesn’t need to
back home again. A place... where we know where loved.
overstate his pitch, and could just as easily
Don Draper: Good luck at your next meeting.
said "and sign here” - but that wouldn't have made a great dramatic TV moment.
[end scene] … drop mic. The scene itself is also accompanied by a nostalgic slideshow of Don’s life, used to great dramatic effect since he seems to constantly be messing it up; this does much for illustrating the point beyond his words. Out of all the take aways worth taking away here the one I want to focus on is how Don lifts his claim, and indeed the message as a whole, from what’s called a “local" problem (more on this shortly) to a “universal" problem. By doing this he brings us from what a few may be interested in (technology) to what everyone is interested in, the complicated dark beauty that is our connection with the past… it doesn’t get more universal than that does it? 208
The Contrarian Message Diagnostic Toolkit When you’re writing your marketing messages use this tool to help you identify where you might be www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com losing someone in the argument, and what you can do about it.
start…
reader reading our message introduced to our new idea or concept (our claim)
NO: happily agree & continue
YES: cognitive dissonance occurs
does it conflict with their current understanding or belief system?
Reader: does this matter enough to me to worry about?
Reader: does the argument make logical sense?
Reader: do I feel like I have control over the conditions in this argument?
Reader: do I have any “ah ha got you!” information that counters the new idea?
Reader: it does matter, it makes sense, I can control the situation, and I don’t have any conflicting outside information that isn’t addressed…
NO: the sale is likely lost Solution: Make sure you’ve made the stakes high enough. NO: the sale is likely lost Solution: Make sure you’ve given enough reasonable proof to support your claims. NO: the sale is likely lost Solution: you need to build a “sub-argument” where you address the underlying false belief that the reader “does not have control or choice” YES: the sale is likely lost Solution: what realistic outside arguments against our POV haven’t been addressed yet? Find out, and address them.
Result: new idea/belief internalized by reader Well done! You’ve successfully changed a readers belief, resulting in them building trust in your ability to deliver on your claims, a critical step in closing any sale.
why making a well founded argument is important Again, our goal isn’t to scare away our reader with ‘scary new ideas’, it’s to transform that new idea into a powerful epiphany for them to experience. Epiphanies are, by definition, novel experiences… and novel experiences activate a specific part of the brain that generates dopamine*. Dopamine does many different things for our brain besides the ‘make us feel good’ stuff. It also helps us learn, remember things, and drives motivation - along with helping to build bonds with other people. See footnote for an awesome study on this subject if you find it interesting. Remember: Fear is mixed with excitement… As much as our brains may fear ‘new’ they also crave it. Our subconscious doesn’t care if an event is ‘positive or negative’ as much as it processes if it’s new; our conscious (or mindset) is what determines the positive/negative reaction. Dopamine can be released either way. This is all to say that we can influence whether someone has a positive or negative reaction to our new (novel) idea… and using the right language, empathy, and type of ‘argument’ is the key to ensuring the reader has an overall positive experience with our message. So, before we explore how to deliver that eureka moment from our new idea, we need to make sure that the argument supporting our claim itself is sound; without a sound argument you’ll lose your reader every time. This is what we’ll dive into next. 211
* Study: Absolute Coding of Stimulus Novelty in the Human Substantia Nigra/VTA - https://link.sean.co/novelty-study
“If you want to build a ship, don't drum up people to collect
www.getwsodo.com
www.getwsodo.com wood and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them too long for the endless immensity of the sea.” - Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Quick Recap… So far we’ve done the following: Step 1: Acknowledge a false belief or misconception, one that is held commonly among their community; and likely by our target reader as well… Step 2: Introduce a counter “contagion” idea (claim) that goes against their current understanding. An idea that can not logically live alongside their current understanding, like a match to gasoline.
Now we need to build out our ‘argument’… to prove our claim.
Step 3: Prove your claim, building an effective argument.
We’ve built trust by proving our idea, but let’s take it a step further. Now we need to transform our ‘new idea’ to the eureka! moment realization. 212
The Contrarian Copy Structure in Action
1.
1: Attention - a somewhat provocative metaphor with a strong claim.
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
sales page example
2.
2: Acknowledgement - define what most people think are the most important skills.
3.
3: Aggravate - setting the stakes to how important this skill is.
4.
4: Authority - quote from an authority on the subject.
5. 5: Angst - ratcheting up the contrast between knowing and
6.
not knowing the skill.
6: Ambiguity - presenting a simple solution and a shortcut to follow.
7.
The results? 9.4% conversion rate to FB traffic. 7: Appeal - finally after building the argument and establishing the direction to take we give a call to action to solve the problem.
You can see the page in action at 7FigureMarketingCopy.com
214
The Contrarian Copy Structure in Action
email example
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
first… add intro
From: Client Name [email protected] via example.com to [email protected] Email Subject: can going to college ruin your life? Email Body: Couldn't help but stop and glance through this recent Consumers Report magazine with that quote on the cover... I've talked about it before in some of my videos, but it seems the opinion that college might not be for everyone is becoming more and more of a common opinion. It really makes you wonder... Is there really any alternative to going into massive debt just for the HOPE that I might have a better future? I like to think, and have seen it happen many many times, that there are great alternatives IF you're willing to work hard, and learn hard. (Though I think we'd all agree that's enjoyable when done correctly.) **** QUICK NOTE: Only a few hours left to take advantage of our special promotion with [partner name] - get all the details by clicking here. Maybe you went to college and can relate to the woman quoted on the cover with $152,000 in college debt. Many of my friends I grew up with have similar type debts, and not much in terms of future prospects. It also should make us consider alternative methods of learning valuable skills as a place to START on our quest for success instead of looking to traditional education systems. Not simply because of the astronomical cost and low return of most degrees, but also because the potential for success is much higher on average for those who pave their own way. Mentorship is an old school approach to learning, same as really putting your head down and digesting as much content on a subject as you have available. In comparison, college might seem pretty easy compared to "paving your own way", though I imagine it's becoming pretty obvious that the return on the time and effort can be much higher. …… continues with more supporting details on argument & product information
1: Attention - this subject line is designed to be provocative. 2: Acknowledgement - the implication here is that ‘college is for everyone’ is still a common belief. 3: Aggravate - simple question that asks to consider an alternative to the accepted way of doing things. Also opened a ‘loop’ - “what are the great alternatives?” Note: since this is part of a follow up sequence I've included a quick Call to Action at the beginning here to draw attention to the urgency of the promotion ending soon.
4: Authority - a simple story pulled from a well respected magazine gives our argument relatable legs. 3: Aggravate (#2) - our claim for a logical alternative approach to solving the problem. 5: Angst - defining two major benefits that can be reaped by avoiding the damage of following the common belief. 6: Ambiguity - presenting an alternative option and explaining the core benefit of following it.
215
framework .3
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
AN UNLIKELY HERO You Are Not The Hero ~ Your Customer Is. Harness Your Audiences Journey to Create Novel Marketing Material
audiences
www.getwsodo.com Overview Of The www.getwsodo.com Hero’s Journey Your audience is on a journey, they are the hero, and you’re the one to help guide them on their journey. In this method I’ll be breaking down how you can use Joeseph Campbell’s spellbinding “Hero’s Journey” to help you craft more emotional & personal copy that will strengthen the bond between you and your audience while adding jet fuel to your conversion engine. The 12(ish) Stages of The Hero's Journey is a popular form of structure coined in Joseph Campbell's “Mono-myth" book The Hero With A Thousand Faces. It has been adapted by Jonah Sachs in his book “Story Wars” and applied to the world of branding and marketing. Christopher Vogler as well has written a book, “The Writers Journey”, that is mostly focused on THJ’s application in fiction. These three books are great reads, and I’ll reference them several times in this guide.
We can harness the power of The Hero’s Journey to both better understand the path our audience is on, while also giving us some useful copywriting prompts and inspiration for all kinds of marketing campaigns. There are 12 phases of the hero’s journey we’ll be examining, here’s the key to remember: different parts of your audience are on different phases of the journey; to best serve their needs (and increase your conversion rates) you should adjust your writing based on where they are on their journey. The Hero’s Journey is most often applied to fiction, however with some creative tweaks we can easily adapt it to our needs. We’ll go over the traditional hero’s journey on the following pages, then we’ll dive into the adapted version for copywriting. The most powerful part of unlocking this ‘journey’ structure is it can transform you and your product/services/brand into almost a mythical being; sent to help guide your audience on their often perilous journey.
“The mentor represents the bond between parent and child, teacher and student, doctor and patient, god and man… entrepreneur & customer.” - Deb Peterson + my edit 217
nces ie d u a www.getwsodo.com
Overview Of The Hero’s Journey www.getwsodo.com
Part of your job as a copywriter is to understand your audience's world along with presenting yourself as a guide (w1). After all, what we're selling will become a small (or potentially large) part of their life journey. There are two main variables that determine how in-depth we need to go in our writing; the complexity and price of our product/service. A $12 coffee thermos isn't going to need as much marketing materials to sell successfully as a $20,000 coaching program. Regardless of the size of our impact we will want to clearly understand the journey our "hero" is on and how our product/ service will prove itself vital in assisting them along the way.
Our hero’s life is out of balance, as most lives are. They may be well aware of the imbalance, or have no idea. All good stories build out a character’s backstory, likewise, we want to define our heroes. In general, on an emotional level, it’s safe to assume members of our audience are at a similar starting point. They may be an unlikely hero - Frodo, Luke Skywalker, Michael Scott, Dorothy etc). Th ey m ay s e e t h e m s e l ve s a s s m a l l , unqualified, untrained, unworthy or simply
Our goal in all of this is not simply for us to
may not know which direction to go to reach
understand them. No, if we really want to make
their goal. To us, we need to understand both
an impact on our audience and inspire action
the light and the dark emotions of our hero -
we must learn how to accurately reflect back to
what deep down shapes their perception of
them a detailed image of their inner self (w4).
reality, what fears, known and unknown
This “mirror” needs to be clear enough to shed
plagues them.
new details to our reader, you are, after all, their
They often haven’t even defined them. From
new guide; or mentor.
the outside, they may seem small ordinary
Your hero may have attempted to change their
(as most people are) yet, as an “ordinary
world and experienced failure. Ask yourself:
person”, they often don’t realize their true
How are you going to help them recover from that
potential - and this where we can work our
failure, and what to do as you are going to give
magic as writers.
them to win the next fight? 218
audiences
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com Overview Of The Hero’s Journey Understanding your hero’s ordinariness, along with potential, is key to a crafting message that resonates and inspires action. Again, their “superpower” is not otherworldly, it’s the innate desire and spirit toward success. They are merely lacking the right tools and leadership. Understanding this is important because our audience will respond to the truth much more than a romanticized version of our message; there’s no need to tell them they have “superpowers” that they don’t have, you simply need to acknowledge that they - like everyone else - have the abilities they need, they just need the right methods.
The common factor in all heroes, regardless of where they are on their journey, is their deep (often unrealized) pursuit of higher-level values. These “higher level values” may be directly related to your product/service or just simply common hopes and aspirations of most people. We all desire to be more creative, be heard as intelligent, and expand the influence of our inner-self and outer world; the same is always true for your audience.
Value Categories Relationships: If you know your values, it becomes easier to identify and connect with those who share those values and those who do not. Peace of Mind: If something in your life is contrary to your values, you experience cognitive dissonance; this confl icted state prevents growth and even pushes you in the opposite direction. Legacy or Influence: If you know your personal values, you can decide which ones you want to pass along to your children — and how you’ll do that. Time: If you know your core values, you can stop wasting time jumping from one thing to another; you’ll have a better understanding of what fulfi lls you and why. Attention (and all that goes with it): Knowing your values and the ones you want to live by makes it easier to cut things out of your life that draw your attention away from what you truly consider important. Source: https://link.sean.co/values1 219
audiences
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com Overview Of The Hero’s Journey Important Note: Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey is an effective way to explore storytelling and a vital way to explore our audience… However we shouldn’t get too caught up in the metaphors and allegories; every sales page or blog post doesn’t need all of the elements of the journey, and its usefulness shouldn’t overshadow our goal of completing an effective marketing piece. I find it’s best not to literally write a story (every time) but weave the attributes of my hero, product, and brand into any piece I am writing. At the very least we want to keep our hero’s background and situation on our mind as we create, it will always serve us well to come from a piece of empathy and understanding and not assumptions.
As you start to contemplate your hero’s deeper values we must also acknowledge the sacrifice and change they will need to make to realize them.
We want to recognize these sacrifices in our work, in the mirror that we are constructing for them. Letting them know we understand their trials, that we’ve been there, that we’ve helped others to cross the chasms. This all goes an incredibly long way to building the relationship. We all are on a torturous path of transformation, will they trust us enough to assist their journey? Or will they see you as another false prophet along the way.
220
audiences
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com Overview Of The Hero’s Journey Not only is a hero often unaware of how to articulate their true deeper fears, but they often are actively working against their own interests. People routinely structured their lives in a way that enables them to avoid or neglect the need to change, avoiding any call to improve. Change is scary. They have a choice, and our hero again very often finds themselves choosing avoidance over transcendence. If they haven’t found a resolution they still need our help. (Realistically they are not our target market if they have.) Can a hero be happy in this state of avoidance? Happy yes, satisfied; no. It's worth exploring this fact. We don’t want to flat out accuse them of apathy but draw out the deeper desire that we both know is there. In fact, and this is crucial, it’s often the case that we do not want to force change upon them at all (change is scary remember) ~ often the best thing we can do is present them with an entirely new journey; one they didn’t consider… CHANGE requires much more effort than simply doing something completely new. For example, asking someone to change there diet is much more challenging than presenting them with an option of keeping a similar diet but simply adding to their diet to experience the results they desire; more on this concept later.
terrifying
change. is. scary.
avoid asking for too much change early in the marketing process. Recognizing that our audience has free will in our marketing is a strategy that bucks against traditional approaches. Most marketing is the kind that blows up with hype and then evaporates, it’s the kind that makes the brand the hero, not the audience. Inspire your reader to wear the cape and your brand/product/ service will always win in the long term. It comes with the responsibility of creating a far more compelling path for our reader than our competitors. Your audience is ready to take action when two forces collide, an inner calling for advancement and external opportunity for relief from the change of pain presents itself. However, they will often refuse the first call, requesting us to explore again the unfailing attribute of humanity, resistance to change. Many times our reader may justify inaction by categorizing our call to action as a fantasy that’s not fit for them; if this is the case we need to reexamine our core argument. Pause for a second and listen (well read) closely. This lesson you are learning here is what created the first trillion dollar brand (Apple)... It’s the foundation of the highest ideals of humankind, from forms of government and the revolutions that destroyed them. Everyone who harnesses its power can build an empire, and those who ignore it are after the ones who are stuck wondering what they are doing wrong… if you are worried this hero stuff might be fluff trust me, it’s where the magic of real influence and domination begins. Earning true, deserved, trust is what it takes to truly turn a skeptic into a buyer. Let’s now examine the 12 phases of our audience’s journey and see how we can use them to better understand both our audience and the marketing we need to craft for them. 221
www.getwsodo.com change is scary. but hope strong. www.getwsodo.com We can use each phase of the Hero’s Journey to better understand our audience, our brand, and how to use it to plan out marketing campaigns.
Hope drives change and action. Sometimes it can be tempting to solely rely on fear as a motivator. While fear is indeed effective, the main
There’s one critical point I want you to keep in mind
difference between fear and hope is that hope; well hope
during each phase of this journey, and it’s the one thing
is a much better way to build a lasting connection.
you can always point to as a guiding star for your
And let’s admit it, both drive change, but hope; hope is
audience…
what we want to win isn’t it?
That crucial point is this, hope is a powerful motivator…
Q: What does it take to turn a stranger into a customer? A: trust. If you can build and keep trust with your audience they’ll follow you to the ends of the earth. Trust is built in several ways, many discussed already in this guide, but one key way is to give someone a truth; duh, you might say... but so many of us are so hell-bent on knocking our reader over the head with “why our product is so awesome” that we forget that they, our readers, don’t care. What they want to know is what that “awesomeness” has to do with them. To understand how our product affects them personally we need to understand what is going on in their lives, beyond the superficial. What emotional experiences (positive and negative) do our heroes have to deal with related to our product/service/industry? How have we helped others fix problems, reach beyond what they thought was possible, and attain a goal they may have never thought was “for them”? Sharing these ‘truths’ with our audience is what builds trust… but first we
People make decisions based on logic and support them with emotion. An emotional connection is made when people feel heard. in short… To get someone to invite you along their journey you need to connect with both their heart and their mind. To win a heart, you need emotion, to win a mind, you need logic, to win both you need both. 222
www.getwsodo.com - Margaret Mead www.getwsodo.com
"Children must be taught how to think, not what to think." Our job as “the mentor” in the hero’s journey is not just to guide them along the path to success (as it relates to our product/service) it also requires us to guide them through the many emotions they will experience along the way. It’s a lot like raising a child, parent or not; it is an easy metaphor to understand. The best parents don’t just tell their child to do something, they give them context with the instruction, help them understand the emotions they may be feeling for the first time.
Each phase of the our hero’s journey leads our reader to a higher stage of awareness related to both our product/service and their own relationship with the world around it. We need to be with them each step of the way, building up that all important trust. In a movie or book the mentor (you) is selling the hero (your audience) growth, fulfilling their destiny, reaching a new plane of existence -- and you may think you’re just selling a ‘widget’, why should I worry about my lead “fulfilling their destiny”; and I understand the hesitation, it may seem like overkill. But ask yourself, is Dove just selling a bar of soap? Or, as their home page puts it “… We believe beauty should be a source of confidence, and not anxiety. That’s why we are here to help women everywhere develop a positive relationship with the way they look, helping them raise their self-esteem and realize their full potential. ” Yes, it's just soap, but it can be so much more…
“Dove, launched as a bar soap brand in 1955 known for its moisturizing quality, was in a box doing a respectable $200 million dollars in sales in the early 1990s… Sales were over three billion in 2011, the last year that sales were reported, and are much more now. This growth was earned in an intensively competitive arena with large, smart, established competitors… An important ingredient to Dove’s successful growth was its “Campaign for Real Beauty”, originated in Brazil by Ogilvy & Mather in 2004. The campaign set out to make women aware that they have real beauty, not based on a standard of a young, model-thin body with excessive make-up. The goal was to change the way that women are perceived and to improve their self-esteem. The Real Beauty Campaign expanded the brand and its relationship to customers by connecting with an issue of deep concern: the appearance and self-confidence of themselves and their daughters. It also provided energy and visibility that enhanced all the Dove products.” David Aaker - Vice Chairman Source: https://www.prophet.com/2017/06/doves-brand-portfolio-growth/
223
The Journey Begins www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
In each of the following phases of the Hero’s Journey we’ll explore the following 4 items: 1. How the phase can help us better understand our audience (internally and externally). 2. What our role is. 3. What emotions are they likely to experience in the phase, and how can we work to encourage the positive ones and mitigate the negative ones. 4. What tactical items can we create in our marketing for each phase, and how to introduce the pieces to the audience in our marketing funnels.
224
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
from
The Ordinary World
to meeting the mentor
JOURNEY PHASES 1-4
The Ordinary World www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com phase two Call to Adventure phase three Refusal of The Call phase four Meeting The Mentor phase one
“It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.” ― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings
Phase One
The Ordinary World
an unlikely hero
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
The start of that journey, is just, life. Ordinary life. Let’s first consider this phase (the ordinary world) in context of films. It’s where we are introduced to the hero of the story. All the complexities are just under the surface and we get a glimpse of what their current life consists of. Usually, some tragedy is implied to be hanging over the hero’s head, either internal or external. Something is missing, they might not even know it. They may not fit in, or they may want something they don’t feel they can attain. In short, something is usually missing and most of the film is following their adventure to make things whole again. The stage is also set, where they are in relation to where they want to be. Their reality vs. their dream. In Star Wars, Luke wants to go fight the empire like his father; but he’s stuck on Tatooine (his ordinary world). In NBC’s The Office Jim wants to be more than just friends with Pam, Michael wants everyone to love him and be his best friends, Dwight wants to … honestly not sure what Dwight wants. The point is, the struggle from point A to point B, the journey is what it’s all about. By intimately understanding this stage of our heroes (audience) journey we will have much more success in guiding them through their many coming hurdles.
The best heroes in fiction are unlikely ones… A Hobbit from a footnote village in the land of dragons and elves (Frodo, Lord of the Rings), or an orphan from a desolate planet far from the concerns of the most powerful forces in the galaxy (Luke, Star Wars), office workers in Scranton Pennsylvania. Their ordinary world is simple, relatable, and their environment and/or attitude is holding them back from reaching their potential.
Why do many great stories start here?
Because most of us see ourselves as unlikely heroes. It’s one of the most relatable stories there is.
“The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving 227 concern. Beautiful people do not just happen.” ― Elisabeth Kübler-Ross
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com Phase: The Ordinary World
from the ordinary to extraordinary
We see this “unlikely hero” story played out in non-fiction as well; in politics everyone wants to be seen from “small town USA”, starting with nothing, striving to greatness in hopes to help the everyday people.
In business “rags to riches” is the start of any good success story. It’s simple to understand, where people start is important to the story, if people can’t relate to the hero they won’t care about the hero. If we can’t relate to our audience how can we genuinely express our care for them? Now, if the ordinary world was all there was these stories would be pretty boring wouldn’t they? There’s always more there than just the ordinary, the extraordinary just needs to be drawn out. Neo (The Matrix) needs to take the red pill (or was it the blue?), Frodo’s humility, as a Hobbit, it turns out is the skill needed to bare the ring to its destruction, Luke needed to learn how to tap into the force. In short, our audience; our hero, needs to be taught their potential and learn how to draw it out and use it.
If we don’t know where they are, how can we help them get where they want to be?
We’re getting ahead of ourselves here, let’s jump back into “the ordinary world’ of our audience,
228
then we’ll take a close look at how to apply all this to our marketing. Think for a moment about your own life. Sometimes it might just feel frozen in time, repeating of the same routines, same problems, same joy’s. Yes, everyone has extraordinary experiences from time to time, but on average our day to day is, well, ordinary. There’s nothing wrong with that. Ordinary gives us a chance to recharge and enjoy the simple things in life. However in our context here we’re not necessarily talking about the day-to-day life of our reader, we’re interested in what we might call “their accepted world” and “their dream world”, where our reader is and where they want to be, and how our product/service/brand can help them get there. At some point in their lives our hero is going to either decide to pursue the “dream world” or give up, or as mentioned in the introduction they may just choose to ignore it altogether; most people don’t give up on dreams, they just put them off. If bliss is reaching a dreamworld, most people are lost in the opposite: a world of distraction and denial.
• •
Sally from Minnesota wishes she had clearer skin, but thinks she can’t because of her genetics.
•
Here Derp from New York wishes he could stop living from paycheck to paycheck but doesn’t
Tom from Maine wishes he could meet the right girl, but has zero confidence because “he’s too shy”. think he can start his own business “because the cards are stacked against him.”
•
Jessica looks back on her thinner more healthy self and laments that she “just doesn’t have what it takes to diet and exercise”.
I’m sure you could tap into this formula and apply it to some irrational conclusion you hold onto in your own life…
For me? It's coffee…
my “false belief”…
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
“I could never give up coffee because I need it to survive.” Well, what if a doctor told me I needed to stop drinking caffeine or my heart would fail? I’m sure I’d be looking for a way to quit caffeine right on the spot, assuming I trusted the doctor. My ordinary world has just shifted, a void created to be filled. Now, if that doctor were to turn to me and say “I can see you’re worried about quitting drinking coffee, I know it’ll be a challenge but here’s 30 other people who went through the same thing and reached their goal successfully; and you know what? They actually enjoy not being addicted to coffee, it allowed them to wake more rested, sleep better, and enjoy the natural energy that comes after you get through your caffeine withdraws! Let me show you how they did it...”
That doctor is selling me… and I’m ready to buy. He didn’t make the transition about him and his talents for helping people, he made it about the results that I would experience. Being a doctor was enough to at least start the conversation, addressing my fears built the trust; simple acknowledgement that I had them was enough. And opening a loop to how my life could actually improve with his solution sealed the deal, or at least opened my mind to a “dream world” where I didn’t need caffeine. At this point, I can’t easily look back - he’s given me a “call to action”, a new path to take… It’s not a new path, many have taken it before me, but it’s new to me. Or as Joeseph Campbell explains it “The Hero Path: We have not even to risk the adventure alone for the heroes of all time have gone before us. The labyrinth is thoroughly known … we have only to follow the thread of the hero path.” On the following page is a quick exercise we can follow to better understand our own audience in this first phase, their “ordinary world”.
“The latest incarnation of Oedipus, the continued romance of Beauty and the Beast, stand this afternoon on the corner of 42nd Street and Fifth Avenue, waiting for the traffic light to change.” — Joeseph Campbell
Your audience is a beauty, a beast, and everything in between... Their story has been told 1000 times before, a story of realizing they have what it takes, that they aren't alone, that they have the power, --- your job when you're selling your message is to simply help them realize those things. You're just there to help them see that they can do it, your marketing is just a guide to help them get there.
229 Phase: The Ordinary World
Phase: The Ordinary World
Define Our Audiences Ordinary & Dream World www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com Our goal in this first phase are twofold. FIRST: Make sure that they understand where they are, and where they want to be. [Example: FROM: Coffee addict with potential heart risks TO being happy and free of the addiction.] SECOND: Wake them up to the possibilities available to reach that dream world, or even a better one they’re not aware of yet. [Example: the joys of waking up early without feeling you can’t function without coffee, staying healthy and vibrant to see their children and grand-children grow, etc. ]
To understand both their dream world and their real world is to ask a few important questions... In relation to our product or service, the industry or niche that we service. 1. What dream worlds could our hero be harboring? 1.
Do they wish they had better health, wealth, or more happiness?
2. Do they wish they could give more back to their community, family, or environment? 3. Do they want to have more time to spend with those they care about? How much more time? 2. Why are they putting off their pursuit ? 1.
Are they waiting for “the right time”?
2. Do they think they don’t have enough resources at their disposal? 3. Are they waiting for a specific event to happen in their lives first? (A certain age, a specific amount of money in the bank, the right mindset) 4. Are they afraid of what others might think, or how they might feel about themselves if they chose to pursue their dream? 5.
Do they simply not know what possibilities are out there for “normal people”, assuming that their dream world is meant for someone else, someone with a different childhood/family/intelligence/looks?
3. What emotional based fears are holding them back? 1.
Are they too shy, too outgoing?
2. Do they feel they don’t have enough patience, knowledge, or experience? 3. Have they experienced the pain of being overconfident and the bite of failing that comes along with it? 4. Have they been told their whole life that they don’t have what it takes; holding onto the fear and resentment of the past, even after they’ve seen that they DO have what it takes?
230
Phase: 3. Have The Ordinary they experienced World the
pain of being overconfident and the bite of failing that comes along with it?
questions continued… 4. Have they been told their whole life that they don’t have what it takes; holding onto the fear and resentment of www.getwsodo.com the past, even after they’ve seen that they DO have what it takes? www.getwsodo.com
4.What deep hopes are they likely holding onto unconsciously, and/or that you would wish for them? 1. You don’t know what you don’t know, what possibilities do you wish your hero did know they could attain? 2. What kind of better person do you know they could become if they just… ? 3. How would they better experience the world around them if they just… ? 5.What past positive experiences have they likely had related to our industry/product or service? 6.What past positive experiences have they likely had related to our industry/product or service?
visit: link.sean.co/hj-1 to download the worksheet in printable form As you can see with these questions, there’s a lot of pondering that can be done about our hero and their situation before we write. Understanding these motivations and situations isn’t as difficult as it might seem, why? Because they’re human, just like you. If you’re selling something you believe in, you’ve seen people in their ‘ordinary world’ apply the transformative power of your product/service and reach a ‘dream world’... you should want that for everyone who needs it. If not, if you don’t believe in your product/service, you can use these questions to better refine that product/service. You can use the answers to adapt what you’re selling to the needs of those who are buying. Or, you know, just find something better to sell. Something else to remember, we can’t fix all their problems. But guiding the to the solution, and fixing some of them often leads to them fixing others. The process of working towards the dream world is as important (if not more important) than reaching the dream world itself.
summary & steps •
Our audience may not be fully aware of their potential, our first job is to inform and inspire them that it is possible to reach it; while also clearly defining what “it” is.
•
By asking the right questions about our audience’s situation we can better understand where they’re coming from, and where they’re going.
•
If you don’t truly believe in your product/service you need to either refine it or find a new one to sell.*
* If you’re a copywriter by trade this can be a tricky one, you can’t always choose how your customers deliver their product/service, and it can be tempting to take on any client ~ especially ones that pay well. But trust me, you won’t make a name for yourself, or even enjoy your job, if you write for things you don’t believe in. Your copy quality will suffer, resulting in you either getting burnt out, jaded, or just not improving as a writer over time. Your best bet is to sign onto projects you believe in, or better yet - go after clients specifically who have products or services you believe in. Easier said than done I know, but trust me, it’s the right path long term.
It’s not always about doing things better, sometimes it’s about doing better things.
231
Phase: The Ordinary World
examples & case studies
the establishing shot
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com (bet you can guess this one)
Elements in these headlines give LOTS of information to our audience in a very short sentence. When establishing a setting often times a film or book will use what’s called an establishing scene, it gives us information about where we are, what time it is, and a general sense of mood. In our writing we can use ‘time’ based language to help set the scene (eg: Now, Tonight, Instantly).
} implying a ‘dream world’ is waiting Your Ordinary world can be better, soon, and easy… • “Your Best Summer Body” • Translation: Reach your Dream World by summer, • Implication: your ordinary world isn’t the best. • “Amazing Sex Tonight” • Translation: Reach your Dream World by tonight, • Implication: There’s a secret to amazing sex you don’t know, yet - and your ordinary world isn’t amazing, yet. • “Look Better INSTANTLY” • Translation: Reach your Dream World instantly, • Implication: There’s something simple missing from your ordinary world that, if added, can look better now. • “Big Arms Now!” • Translation: Reach your Dream World now, • Implication: Big arms good, small arms bad, get big - now.
connecting a brand to a ‘dream world’ { Ambitious By Association… “Entitled 'A Shot Worth Taking,' the campaign celebrates the tequila brand’s history as a shot-taking, boundary-pushing brand, inspiring fans to adopt this same mentality … The campaign features several real-life shot takers identified and selected through their own crowdfunding pages. Hornitos provides each individual with financial support, in exchange for the digital media spotlight, as they take their so-called shot in life.” - TheDrum.com This campaign does a wonderful job at connecting a brand and product with ambition. The word play “shot takers” does a great job to drive home the association, and there’s a clear play between ‘the ordinary world’ ( X people want to cross something off their bucket list ) and the dream world ( only 77 are taking their shot. ) Our take away should be that what people want, vs. what people have doesn’t have to be material, it can be an attitude.
Agency: the community | VP, Executive Creative Director: Rodrigo Butori Sr. Copywriter: Aaron Zimroth
Pursuant to 17 U.S. Code § 107, certain uses of copyrighted material "for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright."
232
Phase: The Ordinary World
examples & case studies
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com Playing on “ordinary world” to “dream world” is especially useful at the beginning of a campaign, the ‘first touch’. Usually this is in the form of either content marketing or advertising. Below are some online advertising examples that tap into that from ordinary too extraordinary storyline.
“What if you could travel several times a
“Sell More. Work Less.”
“You’ve worked hard to live well.”
year to STUNNING locations…?”
• Translation: You're not selling
• Translation: You’ve earned the right to live
• Translation: You can have a business that allows you to travel. • Implication: You need to add this
enough, and you’re working too much. • Implication: Use our tool to sell more and work less.
well from all your hard work. • Implication: If you feel you’re not “living well” then you need to see how the
business model to your business.
company can help you accomplish this.
“You need to be aware of which landing
“Is your business “stuck”? We’ve
“New, legal, and safe class of smart
pages work … anyone interested in
developed a specific formula…”
drugs are helping college students… ”
raising their ROI will be interested.”
• Translation: If you ever feel stuck
• Translation: You don't have to resort
• Translation: Your landing pages aren’t performing how they should. • Implication: We have what you need to change that and improve your
(who hasn’t) then you’re missing this. • Implication: There’s a secret to doubling sales that you can unlock with this training.
to illegal drugs to perform, there’s a better way. • Implication: You’re not performing at your full potential.
marketing. Pursuant to 17 U.S. Code § 107, certain uses of copyrighted material "for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright."
233
Phase: The Ordinary World
establishing your ordinary and dream worlds www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
The following is a simple exercise you can accomplish in less than 30 focused minutes, it will give you a reference tool you can return to again and again as you create your marketing pieces. THE CHARACTER SKETCH EXERCISE Take a piece of paper out and answer the questions posed earlier in this section. Or use our handy worksheet form you can find here: link.sean.co/hj-1 1. If you’re not entirely sure the answer first give it your best guess, channel your inner empathy with the knowledge you have. 2. Be open to talking directly with current client/customers about their experiences, if you don’t have direct access to customers do what you can to connect with individuals who you trust to give you insightful feedback. A DAY IN A LIFE EXERCISE [Before, After, and In-Between] d Worksheet With these answers in hand you can write out a simple “day in the life of my potential customer” narrative piece. This doesn’t have to be a long story, keep it focused on just elements of their daily life that is affected by your product or service. 2 to 3 paragraphs should be plenty. 1. What was your hero’s life like before they had your product/service? 2. What was your hero’s life like after they had your product/service? 3. What was the buying experience like [hypothetically]? In a few short paragraphs you have done more prep work than 99% of marketers and have created a powerful reference tool to return to again and again.
ordinary world worksheets Through the different sections of the hero's journey we've created R&D worksheets that you can fill out to help design your marketing campaign. Combined they will give you a full sketch
Worksheet #1 Visit: link.sean.co/hj-1
Worksheet #1 Visit: link.sean.co/hj-2
Now that we understand our hero’s world view, let’s take a closer look at our call to action, the nagging voice of change we need to install234 in our heroes’ mind.
action
call to adventure www.getwsodo.com
Phase Two
Call to Adventure
www.getwsodo.com
stoke the nagging voice of change The changes we need to make in our lives often lives in the form of a nagging voice in the back of our minds. What we know needs to happen, but often what we choose to ignore. Marketing is first about joining that conversation that’s already going on inside your readers mind. This conversation may be conscious or just below the surface, with just a dash of awareness to the problem. I like to call the process “putting ‘truths’ in-front of the hero”. These truths are sometimes hard to swallow, “you need to lose weight for your health”, “if you want to have better skin than you need to stop drinking alcohol”, “if you want to start a business you need to accept certain sacrifices”. Often they’re things that, if admitted, would drive growth in the person. However, the more difficult they are to accept the stronger the bond we create when they are accepted. These truths are related to two main categories…
Truths Category #1: What is “the dream” and why they indeed CAN reach it, even if they don’t believe they can yet. Truths Category #2: What’s (actually) been holding them back from reaching their dream world (internal & external) ; the villain.
The answers are all clearly defined for us by the questions posed in the previous section. We simply must draw these truths out, and place them into our marketing materials.
“Not all who hesitate are lost. The psyche has many secrets in reserve…
and these are not disclosed unless required.” ― Joseph Campbell, The Hero With a Thousand Faces 235
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
framework .4 TEACH, TRANSFORM, TRANSACT Teach a Man to Fish & You Can Sell Him Fishing Gear
242
www.getwsodo.com
“If you want to build a ship, don't www.getwsodo.com drum up people to collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea.” - Antoine de Saint-Exupery
fact Learning removes fear. Teaching earns trust. A beautiful network of converging cells composes the basis of all learning and memory. This neural web contains the process for storing both the new information we observe along with memory retrieval. Our subconscious employs a process called ‘neuroplasticity’ to modify these networks function in response to changes in both internal and external environments. Not every influence on this network is created equal. The scale of the transformation is determined by the weight of the emotions behind the influence. As Eugene Rubin MD, Ph.D. puts it: “A dramatic emotional event can be extremely effective at causing the formation of strong and lasting connections. Such strong associations can be difficult to ‘disconnect.’ As we may know from our own experiences, there are highly emotional events from decades ago that we remember easily and vividly.”
exposing a person to varying degrees of heights under controlled conditions in which fear and anxiety are dampened by relaxation or other techniques. This exposure may involve actual heights - such as looking out from windows on higher and higher floors of a building - or may involve virtual scenarios, i.e., using computer programs to simulate frightening situations. Repeated exposure to increasingly fearful situations may eventually allow a person to become less bothered by the feared stimuli. This process results from the brain being trained to diminish the effectiveness of the feared stimulus to generate emotional responses. In other words, the brain’s wiring is being modified by a controlled form of learning.” These important insights should interest both entrepreneurs and psychologists alike. For us, this knowledge serves as an important tool. A tool that can dramatically impact the allimportant “action” phase of our copywriting process. To get someone to take action often times we need to change deeply rooted beliefs. Often our job is to first “unlearn” defective belief structures and replace them with accurate ones. Now, unfortunately, we can’t always hook the person up to a simulation to reprogram them, the alternative is to simply (but effectively) educate them. Easier said than done! In this method, we’ll be exploring how the mind learns and how we can build content to rapidly influence our audience.
Considering neuroplasticity is influenced by what a person puts into their mind, along with how they react to the information, it’s reasonable to expect that we can influence the process. Dr. Rubin continues with the question “Could this be applied to “unlearning” something?” and further explains “Some individuals are handicapped by specific fears that fall outside of what most would consider normal. Some people are profoundly afraid of heights, for instance. It is likely that the nerve cells in these persons’ brains are wired in such a manner that exposure too heights provokes a dramatic fear response.”
Reference: https://link.sean.co/psychology-today-fear-ref
He goes on to explain “One common treatment for fear of heights involves a process known as ‘desensitization.’ This behavioral approach involves a therapist systematically 243
TEACH, TRANSFORM, TRANSACT
Teaching is Selling
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
Selling is Teaching The Best Sales People Are…
Harvard Business Review recently conducted a study (http://link.sean.co/hbr ) of top sales reps, and they found out something interesting. Many think the best of the best sales people are those who focus on developing close, personal relationship with the customer. Logically it makes sense that the better the relationship we have with the customer, the more likely we are to make a sale. While this is true to a certain point, they found that the best of the best are those who CHALLENGE their prospects perspective on the problem or solution, and offered an alternative problem and solution to the REAL problem. For example, let’s say you want to hire someone to build a website for your business. You have a pretty good idea of what you want on your website, a home page with a mission statement, an about page, a contact page - you know, all the traditional pages you see on business websites. You talk to a few vendors who tell you some price points, and their impeccable record with customers. Ok great, they’re on the list of possible hires. Then someone comes in and says (or challenges you); “You don’t need a website, you need an online lead generation funnel!”. They go on to teach you what a lead generation funnel is, how it works, and how it can add X amount of leads per month to your business, increasing potential revenues $Y amount per month. You thought you needed a traditional website, and the “solution” providers catered to what you thought you needed, where as the “challenger” actually taught you what you really needed and sold you the results. We need to be that last vendor, the one challenging prospects on what they THINK they need, and selling them the right solution to the right problem. This mindset change is called a “eureka moment,” and almost always results in a closed deal. When you’re writing your copy, ask yourself, “am I challenging my customer to think differently about their problem?” This builds on the challenge and convert principle. As noted above, people are generally wrong with what they think they need. Our job as a “solutions provider” is to convince them that our product or service is actually what they need. Once we’ve challenged them on what they think, and provided a eureka moment, it’s time to close the deal with the ‘benefit of the benefit’. Going back to the “lead generation funnel” sales vendor example above, he first taught an alternative path to the results the business actually needs. They don’t need a home, about, or contact website - they need a website that generates real leads. Then he explained the benefits, more leads and revenue for the business. We can take this one step further with ‘the benefit of the benefit’. Infomercials do this almost comically: “Tired of being rejected at the bar because of your bad hairline!? It’s time you got the attention you deserved by buying XYZ hair growing product!”. The benefit of the benefit here, is stopping rejection at the bar. They’re not selling a hair product, they’re selling a confidence product. Answer this question: What are you really selling? Sell that, not your solution.
learning how towww.getwsodo.com teach www.getwsodo.com
Blooms Taxonomy of Educational Objectives
Blooms Taxonomy was designed in the 1950’s to help teachers better assess the level of understanding a student might have on a topic. It’s built on six different levels, and as an individual moves up the the levels the deeper the understanding on the subject they have. We can use this method of defining someone’s level of understanding (1) to help us better qualify our audience’s experience with our topic. If they have limited understanding, we’ll want to spend more time giving context in our messaging… if they’re more knowledgeable than perhaps we can quickly cover the basics. (2) We can use it to make sure we’re clearly explaining our topic and taking them from a “basic knowledge” of our subject to being able to make an “educated judgement”. Having six different levels of understanding gives us more tools to work with as we write copy. If we can take our reader from knowledgeable too well informed on our subject we build trust… and trust is one of, if not the most, valuable resource in selling.
Evaluation – This last level means that people can make educated judgments about the information, and they can propose new solutions. Synthesis – Synthesis means that individuals can put together all of the elements to form a whole. Analysis – can break the information down into parts, & then examine those parts individually. Can see how each piece relates to the whole. Application – When people can apply their knowledge, they can use the information in a new or different way to solve problems. Comprehension – The individual can derive meaning from their knowledge by organizing, comparing, and interpreting the information (start here) Knowledge – Most basic level. Ability to remember specifics such as terminology and dates, facts and figures to answer basic questions. .
evaluation synthesis analysis application comprehension knowledge
PLAN: Where does your target audience fall on the scale?
EVALUATE: Through the process of our writing did we ascend our reader through each phase of the pyramid? of Blooms Taxonomy: Use to determine your level of experience of your reader, { Benefit helping you determine how complex to frame your content.
learning how towww.getwsodo.com teach www.getwsodo.com
Blooms Taxonomy of Educational Objectives
Evaluating Our Writing With This Method… Let’s say we’re trying to sell a book on copywriting (heh) to an audience, business owners, who don’t know much about the subject. They consider advertising an expense, marketing a pain in the rear, and get frustrated whenever they have to create any type of marketing material. The important part here is that our audience is pretty new to the idea, they may have not even heard the term, but whether they realize it or not they’re doing copywriting on a regular basis. In Blooms Taxonomy, they’d be right at the knowledge stage. Let’s take a moment and empathize with our reader. They very much dislike writing copy, yet they have to do it on a regular basis. The marketing material they make has a direct influence on their income, and we have an opportunity to show them WHY it doesn’t have to be so painful, and how we can help them find a less painful path to success. With that in mind we can pour onto the page a plea, as any good teacher who cares about his students would, for them to apply what we’re teaching. But first we have to establish the value of what we’re teaching/selling. Otherwise? They’re simply going to tune us out. Here’s a look at an abridged sales page for our book on copywriting framed with Blooms Taxonomy…
knowledge { By the end of this section your reader is going to have a clear picture of what copywriting is and why their personal wealth has a DIRECT correlation with their ability to write quality copy for your business.
comprehension { By the end of this section they’re going to have a clear understanding that there are different methods and schools of thought to copywriting and be see the importance to learning what they are and how they were established.
application { By the end of this section you’ll have a useful, action oriented, and clearly understood strategy that you can apply to your marketing right now to increase results.
synthesis { By the end of this section you will have a clear picture of the difference between
a successful piece of marketing copy vs. one that doesn’t accomplish its goal.
evaluation analysis
#7
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
Copywriting
Remove, reduce, and don’t recycle.
Quickie
We often repeat to clarify when we had it the first time. Don’t recycle old points just because we are not sure we got the point across. (A perfect example being the last two sentences, they both made the same point so only one was needed.) If your point needs to be expanded upon to get everyone on the same page, say as much. This allows you more advanced readers to drive ahead to the next point. In short, say it once and say it right. This doesn’t mean if you have a lot of points to make you shouldn’t make them all, some arguments need more support than others ~ just make those points brief. A practical way to accomplish this is to (1) write as you normally would – (2) take a step away from your work for at least 24 hours (as long as possible) (3) revise with the goal of reducing 20% of your words, 10% of your sentences, and any other fat gristle that doesn’t gives substance or good taste
W
to your work. This is what Stephen King calls, “killing your darlings”, and it’s what’s best for you and your work.
I would have written a shorter letter, but I did not have the time. - Blaise Pascal 253
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
From A Mountain of Stone to a Golden Ring How to Map Out Your Marketing Pieces, Brainstorm, and Collect Research to Support Your Arguments
topic RESEARCH www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
Data, Knowledge, Principles, Wisdom.
We All Know it Needs to Be Done… but most of us kinda hate it. a few of my research notebooks from Evernote Put plainly, research is a part of the marketing and copywriting process that can be quite a pain in the ass. Especially if you’re tired of thinking and just ready to start creating. There’s also the fact that many today don’t really have a “system” in place for doing research. Often our research methodology may consist of pulling together a few blog posts, flip through some books and capture a few notes, and maybe chat with a friend on the subject. Then we sit down and pull together loose ends on a piece of paper, hoping that it turns into something useful for our readers; all while finding ourselves fighting off anxieties related to our lack of knowledge on the subject Let’s put an end to that shall we? In this method, I’m going to walk you through a straightforward strategy that will make research a breeze, and give you all the tools you need to make persuasive copy and useful content. First things first we need to establish some terms, some priorities, and some structure; all things entrepreneurs tend to skimp on; myself included. 270
The Basics… www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com Why do research in the first place?
As most of the copy methods in this
experience you need to assign
guide have touched on, persuasion is the
terminology and structure to that
fundamental key to great copy.
experience if you want to help others.
What’s the first key step to persuasion?
I’m not claiming that to add value to someone else's life you first need to do
Being armed with knowledge, principles,
exhaustive research on a subject.
and wisdom around the topic were looking
Sometimes a story, an allegory, or simply
to persuade.
telling someone flat out “well here’s how I did it” is worth quite a bit. However, if
If your audience knows more on the
your goal is to build wide appeal, create
subject than you do then, well, you lose all
unquestionable results, and design full
your leverage. More importantly, you lose
proof systems then research needs to be
the valuable gift of giving insight.
part of the process.
Teaching someone something that will help them is perhaps the most powerful
What are we researching as marketers/
form of persuasion, it builds trust,
entrepreneurs/copywriters? Our product,
likability, and sets you up as a source to
the product’s industry, our audience,
return to when that person finds themself
among other things. Mostly we want to
at a loss for answers.
have an intimate understanding of the puzzle pieces orbiting our products world.
How do you learn more than your target audience on a subject..? Research. Even if you have a large amount of real-world
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
just so we’re on the same page…
What is research? While writing this section I’ve been plagued by this seemingly simple question. Is research simply reading as much as possible on a subject? Is it creating a hypothesis and testing it? Is it a specific set of steps, or is it something you kinda’ make up along the way? I honestly can’t say I’ve found one solid answer, but I have found a satisfactory set of principles to stick too, and that’s what I’m going to break down in this guide.
in general… Research is the process of distilling data into knowledge, knowledge into principles, and principles into actionable wisdom. Well, I suppose that’s technically the process of learning… but I’ve found it suits our needs very well. The goal of researching is to learn is it not? Put less abstractly { research is a set of actions we take to turn data into useful tools for ourselves and others. 272
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
Tell me and I forget… teach me & I may remember… involve me and I learn. -Benjamin Franklin
Before we break down the specific steps you can take to quickly and effectively research ANY subject…
let’s take a quick journey underground… Researching is a lot like the process of crafting a gold ring. This complex, time tested, and laborious task isn’t easy… but it creates something truly valuable. The fi rst step in creating our ring is extracting fragments of gold ore out of tons of stone, often mined from deep underground. Similarly, when we start our research process we’ll be collecting and sorting heaps of useless ‘ore’, searching for the gold nuggets of information.
One ring to rule them all… www.getwsodo.com
www.getwsodo.com Further separation of the gold particles This is a solid reason for us to create from other metals comes next. Silver, and follow a set of standards for our among other heavy metals like zinc, research projects. It’ll save us a ton of silicon, iridium, and cobalt (though still time, and will also keep us from possibly valuable) still need removal. losing valuable bits of information in the process. This is done in a smelting process involving chlorine refining. If we want pure gold, the most valuable information, we need not settle for “gold alloys” (gold made with silver)... we want only the best. Like the separation of the alloys, we need to use ‘critical thinking skills’ to again refine our research data. What is useful, vs. what isn’t going to help us. This process can be overwhelming without a set of standards, a sifting process. When smelting gold the goldsmiths know precisely how to pull out the different metals, how to discard the useless and set aside valuable (but impure) alloys. Imagine how much time it would take if every time they set down to refine gold ore they had to come up with the method from scratch! Heck not to go down too far down the metaphorical rabbit hole but there are many dangers in the gold smelting process that are apt to our discussion. There are poisonous materials used in the smelting process, mercury, cyanide, chlorine, to name a few. In our research process, we too may come across disinformation that can harm our perspective or spoil our whole project, we can get locked in a never-ending cycle of reading and re-reading information without actually gathering anything useful; a major time suck and something I often fall victim to. Or, again, we may find ourselves missing vital information, giving us less than useful research to work with. In short, we need a set system and process for our research.
And in The Darkness www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com Bind Them… So far we’ve (1) dug through mountains of stone to collect the gold ore (2) we’ve distilled the ore down to a collection of useful metals (3) we’ve used complex smelting methods to further separate our gold from the other materials. The final step (4) before we can start crafting our ring is to further refine our “gold anodes” into “gold bars”. This step is similar to the process of researching where we start to organize our useful information into a more coherent structure. This step is often the step that’s taken in writing a book, where you combine all the useful elements you’ve collected into a useful piece of work. If our goal was to write a book, we’d be close to done. After all, a gold bar is worth a lot right? Well, we’re not looking to write a book… though often this research process can lend itself to that. We’re wanting to craft something specific out of that gold. A gold ring crafted by, say, Cartier is worth much more than the raw gold it was crafted from.
Likewise, what we create from our “distilled research” can be worth much more than the research itself. The last step is that ring crafting process itself. With rings specifically, the methods vary widely, and the perceived value often stems from the brand selling the ring. This is where our metaphor can break down a bit and we don’t want to get too down into the metaphorical weeds. From our distilled research we can create blog posts, large “cornerstone content pieces”, video sales letters, webinars, email series, even full courses, and many more valuable assets for ourselves and customers. Excited to learn how to research effectively now?
Let me show you…
section four
copy & productwww.getwsodo.com development www.getwsodo.com
an epilogue
How To Design & Build Quality Products Using The Fundamentals of Copywriting as Your Guide
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
“My mind," he said, "rebels at stagnation. Give me problems, give me work, give me the most abstruse cryptogram or the most intricate analysis, and I am in my own proper atmosphere. I can dispense then with artificial stimulants. But I abhor the dull routine of existence. I crave for mental exaltation. That is why I have chosen my own particular profession, or rather created it, for I am the only one in the world.”
- Sherlock Holmes -
296
Being an entrepreneur is about creating viable solutions to www.getwsodo.com
www.getwsodo.com definable problems in novel, yet practical ways. In this last section, I want to explore a simple question. One that, on the surface, may seem to be quite a stretch of logic, but my hope is to give you another powerful tool for your entrepreneurial journey; one that’s helped me and many others forge a new path forward.
identify a problem
The Question: Can the principles that create great copy be applied to developing & creating great products? If so, how? If you’ve made it this far in this guide you can probably guess my personal take on this; while, no, effective copywriting principles can’t solve all business problems… they sure can solve a lot more than people might think.
map out a solution
First, think about how someone (and perhaps even you) might go about designing a product or service. Generally, the process goes something like this… “Gee, you know what? I think people would love it if they could (insert action) faster/
Unless you jump into a time machine and are now
better.” - “I should make an app, widget, website, etc. that helps them
marketing in the 1940’s, you must have customer-
do just that!” Then, without much research or planning our new
focused marketing. The 1940’s approach was to have
entrepreneur sets to the task of creating the product with even
the factory build a product, and then the sales and
little focus on the marketability of the product beforehand. The
marketing teams were responsible for selling it.
idea’s so great it’ll sell itself! They reassure themselves.
Obviously that is not how it works today. - McMahon & Associates Consulting -
The problem is, as Jeff Goldblum puts so eloquently in Jurassic Park, they were so preoccupied with whether they could, they never stopped to ask if they should.
They’re starting with the solution before giving any real indepth consideration to the real problem. I’m not claiming that good ideas can’t be born organically and have huge market
develop your message
potential… I’m saying; and I’m sure you’d agree if you’ve ever tried to launch a new product or service, that most profitable ideas aren’t born out of a flash of magic... but are birthed out of a deliberate search for solutions to real problems. A good rule of thumb I like to turn to is this: if no ones selling it yet either you have a billion-dollar idea OR your idea might not be as good as you think. So, what principles of copy might help with this? How can we start with “benefit of the benefit”, or “raising the stakes”, or “defining the customer's journey” and the like
optimize your solution
to better map out our products deliverables? Truth is we can apply these methodologies to a business problem that we understand well, and create the marketing messaging before the product.
lest we forget…
great marketing applied to a crappy product test your messaging
is just adding saffron to a turd. 297
By going through the process of mapping out, writing, and rewriting the marketing messaging for a hypothetical product we can easily www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com identify where we might need to add more features (which adds
more benefits) and it will help us better define who the product itself is for…
… giving us valuable insights to share, more effective stories, and deeper empathy towards the users our product is designed to serve. Now; my personal experience is more in the realm of “information products” (books, courses, workshops, consulting), so this is where I will mostly sharpen the focus of this section. However, the principles can complement physical products, SAAS software, and even B2B solutions. Let’s face it, no matter what we’re selling the messaging is always going to play a critical role; and information is quickly becoming the oil of the 21st century. I truly believe any entrepreneurial venture can greatly benefit from weaving in an information product into their business model; beyond the high-profit margins and relatively low front end investment to develop, they also provide some more abstract benefits… namely enhanced credibility, new entry points for your sales funnels, and most importantly (and perhaps least tangible) confidence in your own abilities and understanding. So, let’s take a closer look at the Reverse Product Development Strategy; how to use the principles of copywriting and marketing to design & create marvelous products. Before we do, let me share with you what a sustainable $20,000 per month info-product arm of a business looks like… and take a magnifying glass to the ‘less tangible’ benefits mentioned a moment ago.
How do you get to the moon? You don’t start by building a spaceship, you start by inspiring a nation. Not because it is easy, but because it is hard. You appeal to the higher values of humanity, not the practical. It’s accomplished with a pen, a message, not with a rocket. Likewise, an entrepreneur's products must inspire before they can deliver… it should, however, go without saying, the rocket needs be able to lift off the ground. 298
We’re in a knowledge economy, here’s www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com how to tap into the demand… Most entrepreneurs are familiar with the concept of “Information Products”, even if they haven't considered creating one. It’s a wide-ranging product category that encompasses everything from a few dollar Kindle book to a $50,000 masterminds. In recent years it seems like everyone and their stepmother has dove head first into the space, sites like Lynda.com (Sold for $1,500,000,000 to Linkedin) and MasterClass.com (recently raised $80 million in funding) — not to mention the heavyweight Amazon (roughly $150m in just kindle sales per year) all are focused on selling you one thing; information… how to, what to, and why to do - well, just about anything. It’s a mouthwatering opportunity, and deceptively simple to implement - “capture knowledge”, “present knowledge”, "profit”.
If only it were that simple. The corporate players out there aren’t the only ones making a shiny penny or two in this product category. Folks like Tai Lopez, Sam Ovens, Grant Cardone, Alex Becker, Marie Forleo and many more are well into the 8 figure per year mark selling chiefly “information”. Yet, there is even a larger segment of individuals out there who make a handsome living in the 6 to 7 figure range selling info products as well. “Mom and pop” information sellers who either sell hyped up nonsense, or wellcrafted boutique info-products designed to solve real-world problems. In this write-up, I want to give you a glimpse behind the scenes of this unique segment of the information industry and explore why the info-product “gold rush” isn’t over, and why, in fact, it's just getting started. The “solo-info-product-prenuer” we might call them, probably not ~ but still, is a thriving industry, but it has become more difficult to break into, but that's a good thing. Some of you reading this may have dabbled in the info product world, maybe even got the point of selling one, and experienced some success. Others reading may be in that 5,6,7 or even 8 figure earnings range. This white paper is designed help anyone interested or active in the info space to sell more, or get started on the right path!
Beyond the inside scoop on this gold rush, I'm also going to share the strategy I'm using with myself and clients to create profitable info-product businesses while avoiding all the headaches that are associated with this highly competitive industry.
299
There’s A Way To Do It Better. find it. www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com -Thomas Edison three questions to be explored in this section… 1. What possibilities are still out there for those looking to break into the crowded info-product world? 2. Who should (and shouldn't) add an info-product either into their current business or as a full replacement for their current business? 3. What does it take to launch a successful info-product in 2019 and beyond? More importantly, how the average excitable entrepreneur goes about it all wrong. Lastly I want to give you a strategy that's been running circles around all others in the info-product space.
300
PART ONE: STRENGTH & STRATEGY www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
but first, bugs. Specifically, what a dung beetles testicles can teach you about building a successful online business...
genus: onthophagus taurus | family: scarabaeidae 301
PART ONE: STRENGTH & STRATEGY
If you want to "make it rain" inwww.getwsodo.com the info-product space your first step is to www.getwsodo.com make crystal clear the complex relationship between Strength & Strategy... The strongest creature on our planet, it turns out, is not
bigger the horn the smaller the testicles. As the study
to be a mighty African Elephant or the like, it's the
colorfully summarizes, “Instead of growing super
dubious little dung beetle. With strength equal to 1,141
strength to fight for a female, they (Winston) grow lots
times its own body weight it out muscles every other
more sperm to increase their chances of fertilizing her
living thing (by size). However, its mega-strength left it
eggs and fathering the next generation.”
with a unique problem, one that holds a valuable lesson
The Result?
on how entrepreneurs must view their advantages & disadvantages. Even with the equivalent strength of a human being able to lift SIX double-decker buses (80 tones), our horned beetle friend often fails at its main goal - to pass on its genetics.
You see, there are two types of males in this beetle's species… One, a big ole brute with horns they used to battle each other for the ladies (we’ll call him Chad), and second is weaker male with no horns who rely on a cunning strategy to seduce the ladies (we’ll call him Winston). One-on-one ‘Winston’ has no chance of defeating ‘Chad’ and getting the ladies. He doesn’t have near the straight or tools (battle horn) to take on Chad. The horned brutes, “Chads", with their mega strength spend much of their time defending their females and tunnels against other horned rivals. All the while, unbeknownst to Chad, our hornless pal Winston spends
Winston’s strategy often results in little baby Winstons
his time digging covert side tunnels to Chad’s love
running around in Chad’s house, with Chad protecting
shack.
them and being none the wiser. Chad may have
So, while Chad is off fighting with other Chads our
questions for momma beetle in a few months when the
underdog Winston sneaks in to have liaisons with Chad’s
little beetles don't have a horn.
girl. To add insult to injury, Winston is kept quite well-
Chad would also have little Chad’s from time to time,
fed by eating the dung that Chad’s collected in his
and both strategies work well to keep the species
tunnels. Being well-fed results in Winston also having
advancing... but strength (even the strongest animal on the
"substantially larger testicles” [https://link.sean.co/testies] than
planet) wasn't the end all strategy for success.
Chad. They're not just for show, they considerably increase
“Size matters not. Look at me. Judge me by my size, do
Winston's chance of making babies with Chad's females.
you? Hmm? Hmm. And well you should not. For my ally
Thus passing on his genes, the end goal, instead of
is the Force, and a powerful ally it is.” - Yoda
Chads. — You know the old dung beetle saying, the 302
PART ONE: STRENGTH & STRATEGY
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
The Point? The Right Strategy Can Beat The Biggest Advantages. If you're not a Chad, don’t try and beat Chad at his own game… embrace your inner Winston and explore creative strategies to reach your goals. Having success with launching an information product may come from a financial angle (having a lot of money to invest) a distribution angle (having access to a large audience to tap into) or simply having more time & experience. Everyone, including you, has these attributes in their life and business to a differing degree. Don’t have much money to invest? You’re going to have to rely on time and experience… don’t have much time? Ideally, you’ll be able to invest financially into leverage tools (e.g. employees, software, etc). Don't have much time or money? Well, you're going to have to be creative with how you execute, coming up with your own unique strategy to reach your goal. We all have at least some resources we can work with to reach our goals, the trick is to match the right strategy with the resources we have!
David didn’t try and kill Goliath with a sledge hammer.
The Bottom Line… Even with all the advantages in the world - without an effective strategy those advantages can be rendered mute. Looking at you Facebook Phone, Amazon Phone, Blackberry, Google+, Google Glasses, Microsoft Zune, and many more billion dollar companies with poor strategies.
“
Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence*. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan ‘Press On’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race. - Calvin Coolidge * Persistence is an effective (say it with me now) strategy. 303
Thiswww.getwsodo.com is fantastic news. www.getwsodo.com
A big problem when it comes to launching info-products is mindset related, most people think they need more time, money, or experience before they can successfully create and launch a product... what they need, however, is the right strategy to leverage the time, money, and experience they DO have. You may feel like you're at a disadvantage due to your circumstances, and you very well might be right, but with the right strategy in place to follow you can overcome them, even turning some of them them into advantages.
PART TWO: KNOWLEDGE INSIGHT IS POWER Q #1: What opportunities are there for those committed to breaking into the world of Info-products?
Strategy > Advantages. The Opportunity & The Catch There’s never been more demand for
The information-overload problem has created a unique opportunity
concise, highly-structured, and impactful
for savvy entrepreneurs who aren't afraid to do a bit of digging,
information.
organizing, testing, and teaching of that information.
You see, most people see the influx
That's the real end goal, isn't it?
information online as a good thing, in some ways it is, however there’s one major problem with most of this information...
It lacks structure. Without it we are left swimming in a neverending sea of advice, with no real way to
Not just to learn, but to put the knowledge into action in a positive, impactful way in our lives and businesses; to turn knowledge into insights.
prioritize or filter the information; no way to measure its ability to solve our problem. 304
PART TWO: KNOWLEDGE INSIGHT IS POWER
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
Now's the best time to create a quality info-product. The information-overload problem has created a
money. I challenge you to think in terms of MONTHLY
unique opportunity for savvy entrepreneurs who aren’t
income as opposed to a fixed goal amount.
afraid to do a bit of digging, organizing, testing, and teaching of the information. I love how writer Kaye
How about 80 sales per week of a product? Doesn't that
Ramos put it: "In a complex world where almost
sound a bit more attainable vs. 10,000?
everyone has access to the same information, you’re able to deliver new value by putting ideas together in
Well, 80 sales per week can translate to $20,000+ per
novel ways."
month with the right strategy.
Now's the best time to create a quality info-product.
There's plenty of time to make a million, let's focus first on building
With one important caveat... That catch? The bar for what qualifies as "quality" has never been higher. Quality, more than anything else, is
the "vessel" to get you there.
at the heart of the strategy that drives long term sales and profitability for your product. You've seen infographics with titillating math similar to: To make $1,000,000 all ya need is: 100,000 sales at $10 or... 10,000 sales at $100 or... 1,000 sales at $1000 or... 100 sales at $10,000 While the math isn't wrong, it makes success look deceptively simple. Gaining 1000+ unique customers right out the gate is more than challenging, it's unrealistic, and designing a $10,000 program to sell 100 of also should be on the "very difficult" side of the spectrum, taking years of experience and staff. I mentioned earlier that you must hold onto and follow your dreams, and there's nothing wrong with wanting to make a million or more; but so many people look at that number and get all excited about it without understanding the reality behind it. Truth be told, you can spend a million WAY too quick. Especially if it's your first time having that kind of
305
The advantage that no one www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com can take from you. Before we continue there's something I deeply believe and would like to share. It's an exception to the "strategy beats advantages" concept. It's the strongest advantage we have and one we all can tap into when things look the darkest, it's also one that no one can take away from you. It's your ability to dream, and dream big. Ethan Hawke's quote from his book The Hottest State summarizes my feelings well: "Don't you find it odd," she continued, "that when you're a kid, everyone, all the world, encourages you to follow your dreams. But when you're older, somehow they act offended if you even try.” Later in this write up I'll touch on the idea of not setting unrealistic goals, but dreams? Your dreams should be the glue that holds your strategies together, the place you venture in the darkest hours, the place you celebrate your biggest wins. Let them live large in your mind and heart, but let's not forget that a dream without a plan is only ever just a dream.
section summary
PART TWO: KNOWLEDGE INSIGHT IS POWER
Q #1: What opportunities are there for those committed to breaking into the world of Info-products? A #1: In a world of nearly unlimited access to knowledge, ironically there’s little understanding. Now, more than ever before , there’s demand for individuals who can distill this knowledge into useful, actionable content.
Coming up on our journey we’ll look at the math and tactics behind a 20k/mo info-product strategy, but first let's take a look at who should tap into the info-product industry. It's not for everyone... 306
PART THREE: THE WHO www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
A realists look at who should create info-product in 2019 & beyond.
Question #2: Who should (and who shouldn't) consider building an info-product either into their current business or as a full replacement for their income?
“If you don’t produce, you won’t thrive — no matter how skilled or talented you are.” ― Cal Newport, Deep Work Are you a producer or consumer?
I was only taking away from the world. As
We’re all a bit of both, but which are you
Winston Churchill summed up nicely: “We
more of? You may fall into the boat of many
make a living by what we get, we make a life
who spend hours and hours, month after
by what we give.”
month, digesting this self-help book after that “get um crush it” podcast, but what
If you’re more of a consumer than a
have you truly created lately?
producer it very well may be the source of a lot of the pain in your life. The remedy is to
Feeling a tinge of ‘hey stop that Sean!’?
start doing what humans do best, start
That’s understandable - it’s what I needed
creating.
to hear before I could pinpoint what was
Back to the question at hand…
holding me back from reaching my goals. In fact, it’s what I needed to change in order to
REALISTICALLY, who should consider
stop feeling self-loathing, to stop feeling like
building an info-product business? 307
PART THREE: THE WHO
www.getwsodo.com REALISTICALLY, who should consider www.getwsodo.com building an info-product business? It would be unethical to suggest that EVERYONE should. I do believe most have the ability, but not everyone is going to put in the effort, and still others will permit life to get in the way. If you’ve made it this far in this write up there’s a good chance that you have at least one of the core characteristics that makes a great infoprenuer, you’re not afraid to digest a bit of content! In fact, the length of this page is somewhat of a filter, you probably wouldn’t be surprised that many of the people who want to make millions in the entrepreneur space aren’t even willing to invest the time needed to learn skills related to the goal; that includes reading - a decent amount of reading. There are a few more characteristics that, at a minimum, should be on the radar of anyone interested in creating their own info-product. This isn’t just something drawn together at random, but from years of experience working with many different individuals who profess the desire to create, but often don’t adapt when the going gets tough.
By examining the kind of individual who excels in the info-product space we can avoid the missteps that are common in this industry, giving us the best chance of reaching our goals.
• • • • •
They’re not afraid to invest the time and energy needed to learn how to create, and to create. They’re humble enough to admit they need help, and determined enough to find it. They’re willing to listen to the needs of their audience instead of just assuming them. They’re a fan of improving themselves and helping others improve. They understand that fear is a product of a lack of understanding, and use knowledge to cast a light on doubt.
These are the core character elements of someone will thrive in this world. Now, if you have the DESIRE to express those 5 qualities but feel a tinge of anxiety when you consider them, perhaps even a bit of doubt that you ever could live up to them… you are not alone. These are ideals, but no one fills them out perfectly. That, perhaps, is another quality to wrap them all into: be humble enough to admit you’re not the best, but determined to do your best at improving them. That quality the best we can hope for, and that’s all anyone who’s made millions ever had. Here’s some exciting news that I think might just be the cure to crippling doubt and fear in this adventure… and my answer to "what advice do you wish you could give your younger self".
The process of creating quality work often fixes the parts of the brain that need fixing allowing you to create quality work. 308
Read that again, a few times.
PART THREE: THE WHO
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
the good and the bad news
to sum it up...
It takes a lot of focus and energy to create
If you're willing to do what needs to be done, to
something of high quality. And high quality is
invest the time, energy & resources to both
what separates a winning product from a flop.
create quality products and refine your abilities
Most of us have never had exceptional quality
to do so, there's no doubt that you will stand out
demanded of us, "passing" was often the bar we
and find success. That's hollow advice without
were expected to meet - not excellence.
defining "what needs to be done" isn't it? We'll let's do that in our next section where we break
The bad news, it's not easy...
down it down step by step.
The good news, it's not easy... The bar is high otherwise everyone would be pulling in $100k+ per month selling information products, wouldn't they? And if you can go into the project knowing it's not going to be "easy" then you'll be much more prepared than the average entrepreneur.
2 f.a.questions Q: Do I need to have in-depth expertise before considering starting an info product business? A: Will it help to already be an expert? Sure! Is that a requirement? No. The way the following strategy is designed and executed is not just to create a product, but also to develop & grow your experience in your chosen niche. Q: What if I don't enjoy "studying" or organizing information? A: 99.999% of people fall into this category, and the .001% who do love it don't love it all the time. The trick is to realize that enjoyment is DERIVED from DOING, not the other way around. You don't love it first then do it.
309
PART FOUR: THE END GAME www.getwsodo.com
www.getwsodo.com Question #3: What does it take to launch a successful info-product in 2019 and beyond? More importantly, why the average excitable entrepreneur goes about it all wrong.
What Strategies Not Only Work Now, But Are Sustainable Long Term? There are hundreds of different approaches to creating and launching an info-product, each with their own pros and cons. The number of options makes it difficult to know which strategy to follow. Let me share with you one that’s worked over and over again for myself and my clients.
This strategy is built from the ground up… with the base goal being $20,000 per month in revenue. The 20k per month figure seems to be a common (and realistic) goal for most exploring this entrepreneurial space, and for me represents an amount that allows for reinvestment in your business while also supplying adequate after-tax income to live on. Part of this strategy is to replace current income needs, providing even more time to focus on enhancing the quality of the product.
1
To hit the $20,000 per month range consistently with this specific strategy calls for two key products. Info Product #1: A “Step by Step Tactical Guide” that solves a specific problem, presented in a book form or mini-course. — Price range: $24 to $49
2
Info Product #2: A “Time Framed Strategic Guide” that solves both specific problems, and presents a path to follow to attain something ‘new’ for the buyer. Presented in a step by step video course.
310
— Price range: $199 to $499
PART FOUR: THE END GAME THE
value ascension strategy www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
Key Information… -
OBJECTIVE: Launch a sustainable information product that helps its buyers solve specific problems effectively.
-
GOAL: Reach $20k/mo in sales in 30 days. STRATEGY: (mapped out in this section) MEASURE: Hit 80 sales minimum of core product per month with a 20% take on up-sell product.
What It Takes to Hit $20k/mo… the math
Reality Check… this journey takes work Let’s not downplay reality, it does take time, experience, and effort to create these products and dial those numbers in, however, that "time, experience, and effort" can be developed alongside the product itself. Many of my clients are well into the upper six-figure and some seven-figure per month with info-products using this exact strategy, some who still only focus on their one core product line. The beauty of info-products is that they are scalable by nature. As long as you build out customer service as more customers onboard your costs remain relatively low to other business models.
311
THE
PART FIVE: ASCENSION
value ascension strategy www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
You can't stay in your corner of the Forest waiting for others to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes. ― Winnie-the-Pooh
defining the core action steps… With over 500,000 new businesses started every month (in just the US) the demand for clear cut, structured, up-to-date advice isn't going anywhere but up; here's how to tap into that demand… The opportunity and who should pursue it is clear. The objective, goals, and measures are defined. Now we need to take a look at the core action steps needed to reach those goals. There are three "big picture" milestones to accomplishing this strategy, each enabling the success of the next. The relationship between these steps is key to both developing your product and also building out a framework for constantly improving it.
PART FIVE: ASCENSION 312
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com your compass
PART FIVE: ASCENSION
Step #1: Picking A Direction Why is it that we don’t worry about a compass until we’re lost in a wilderness of our own making?” ― Craig D. Lounsbrough
A compass is used in navigation keep you heading in the right direction, and without it even the best map in the world isn't going to get you anywhere. One without the other is useless. In the Value Ascension product development strategy your compass is your un#inching commitment to quality. This commitment will direct you through the many storms that come with creating anything of value. You can develop and re$ne your compass as you build out your products, accepting nothing less than the best; while also avoiding the trap of perfectionism. It's the $rst step in the value ascension strategy because without it you'll be easily blown o% course; distracted by the shiny objects, and not reaching your goals.
313
your map
PART FIVE: ASCENSION
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
Step #2: Charting Our Course “You do not write your life with words...
You write it with actions. What you think is not important. It is only important what you do.” ― Patrick Ness
Getting from point A to point B without a map is almost impossible. A map is more than just, well, a map; it gives you insights into the obstacles along the path, shortcuts, and (most importantly) it gives you a way to see the 'big picture'; where you are and where you want to be. In the Value Ascension Strategy the map is a working list of assets to create, standards to measure quality against, ways of doing things quicker, and much more. It is the TACTICAL approach to executing your strategy. Your map may change as you learn better ways of doing things, and the beauty of this map is it can be used over and over again; getting better and more re$ned a&er each use. Using it along side our compass can navigate us to reaching our end goal. The map both involves our business model, our product structure and assets, along with our marketing plans. These all tie together to create that big picture. Creating the map starts by ... mapping out ... a tactical framework of "what works", this can be created through experimentation (slower) or starting with a strategy that's working and adapting it to your needs (much faster). This section, for example, holds many parts of a map that you can start with. 314
the vessel
PART FIVE: ASCENSION
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
Step #3: Creating Our Vessel “We who cut mere stones must always be envisioning cathedrals.”
- the quarry worker’s creed
Sticking with our nautical metaphor (analogy?) a&er we have our direction established, map in hand, next we need to put together our vessel. It is our transportation, protection, and home for the many critical parts of our business. The vessel is in essence the sum of all the unique pieces that we create on our journey. Our vessel is more than just our products themselves, or the marketing funnel, it also includes less tangible things like... - Credibility. - Strategic Partners. - Our "voice" / brand. - Distribution. - and (as usual) a lot more. This collection of assets can be complex as a battle ship, or as simple as a rowboat; but the goal isn't to create a perfect ship right out the gate... it's to give us a foundation that we can build upon over time; and the means to begin our journey.
next: Putting It All Together
315
PART FIVE: ASCENSION
tactical training
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com Step #4: Putting it All Together… You may have noticed that most of the content in
the scenes of what specific, steps you can take to
this section is 'strategic' (love that word); for
take to reach your end goals visit: https://
many of you reading this who have the technical
link.sean.co/va-tactical to watch a free video
and experienced this strategic content can serve
training I’ve put together walking you through
as the start of your map for building out a $20k/
my processes. As I hope I've made clear, the info
mo information product business… However,
product business isn’t ‘easy’, and it's not for
there's another type of content that will help the
everyone, but for those who do harness its power
less experienced, and even the experienced who
there’s virtually no limit to what you can
just want to know the exact steps...
accomplish.
It's called "tactical" information; that is, the
Now that you've got a framework for product,
specific tactics that you can follow to execute
let’s jump all the way back to the beginning of
strategy. These specific tactics are a bit beyond the scope of this book but if this message
this section and explore the different areas that copywriting can specifically help in the product
resonated with you and you want to see behind
conceptualization and design.
“Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” ― George Bernard Shaw
316
7 Figurewww.getwsodo.com Marketing Copy www.getwsodo.com
appendix reference materials and other goodies & guides. • Tried & True Copy Formulas • Tools of The Trade • Niche Copy Headlines • Glossary of Terms
317
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
appendix 1
Tried & True Copy Formulas Learn the tried & true marketing methods of the last 150 years.
318
TRIED & TRUE COPY FORMULAS www.getwsodo.com PREFERENCE
www.getwsodo.com
0
GENERAL COPYWRITING FORMULAS 0
BRIAN CLARK’S 10 SURE-FIRE HEADLINES
AIDA 0
AIDCA / IDCA & MORE 0
0
4 PS (2 VARIATIONS)
1 1
PAPA: 1 QUEST
1 1 2
AICPBSAWN 2 COPYWRITING FORMULAS FOR LONG-FORM SALES PAGES 2 BOB SERLING’S POWER COPYWRITING FORMULA 2
2
3
THE SEVEN-STEP COPYWRITING FORMULA
FACEBOOK AD CTA FORMULAS
BGNGO BULLETS
8
3
8
FAB 9 COPYWRITING FORMULAS TO ENTICE ACTION 9 RAD 9 HOOK, LINE AND SINKER
9
THE BEFORE-AFTER-EXPERIENCE TESTIMONIAL 9
12-STEP FOOLPROOF SALES LETTER TEMPLATE 3
TEASE
9
THE 4 SS
9
PERRY BELCHER’S 21 PART SALES LETTER FORMULA 3
WALLING’S 5-DAY DRIP COURSE FORMULA FOR LEADS 9
3
HELLYEAH
3
WISHPOND’S 5 PART DRIP CAMPAIGN 9
P.A.S.T.O.R
3
PASOP
10
THE 6-EMAIL NEW CUSTOMER NURTURING SEQUENCE 10
COPYWRITING FORMULAS FOR VSL’S 4
11
11
MICHAEL HYATT’S 6-PART BLOG POST
VAD: VERB, APPLICATION, DIFFERENTIATOR 8 FASCINATION FORMULAS (BULLET LISTS) FOR COPYWRITING 8
11
11
BLOG POST FORMULAS 11
THE NINE-POINT COPYWRITING FORMULA
THE 4-STEP FORMULA
7 DEADLY SINS OF COPYWRITING FORMULA
8
11
11
FORMULAS FOR WRITING FACEBOOK POSTS 11
THE HEADLINE-AS-BULLET LIST
CRAIG CLEMENS SALES LETTER FORMULA: STAR STORY SOLUTION
ERERS
FORMULAS FOR WRITING VALUE PROPOSITIONS 8
5-POINT COPYWRITING FORMULA
LOUD. RELEVANT. ENGAGING.
HEADLINE FORMULAS WITH UNKNOWN ORIGINS (LOTS!) 7
SLAP 1 AIDPPC
FACEBOOK AD FORMULAS
HEADLINE FORMULAS BASED ON HEADLINES BY LAURA BELGRAY 7
ACCA 1 AAPPA (OR PAPA)
6
MECLABS ONLINE AD SEQUENCE
JAY ABRAHAM INSPIRED HEADLINE FORMULAS 6
DANNY INY’S 6+1 FORMULA 0 PAS – DAN KENNEDY
HEADLINE = ATTRACT ATTENTION (BE RELEVANT!) 11
HEADLINE FORMULAS FOR USE ON LEAD-GEN PAGES, FOR MARKETING EBOOKS OR FOR BLOG POSTS 5
11
HIPASI
12
SCAMPER
12
THE “A FOREST” CHECKLIST
12
MORE FORMULAS AND TEMPLATES
12
AICPBSA
12
GARY HALBERT’S NEWSLETTERS:
12
ABC CHECKLIST 12 “ELEMENTS OF AN OFFER” CLASSIC FORMULA: 12 41 CLASSIC COPYWRITING HEADLINE TEMPLATES 13 HEADLINE GENERATORS
13
EVEN MORE RESOURCES
13
RESOURCES: HEADLINE COPYWRITING TEMPLATES 13 RESOURCE: SUBJECT LINE TEMPLATES
14
RESOURCES: EMAIL MARKETING COPY TEMPLATES 14 RESOURCE: CALL TO ACTION COPYWRITING TEMPLATES 14
THE REPORT FORMULA
10
THE DATA FORMULA
10
RESOURCE: PRODUCT DESCRIPTION COPYWRITING TEMPLATES (ECOM) 14
THE HOW-TO FORMULA
10
COPYWRITING FOR SOCIAL MEDIA
THE EMPTY SUITCASE
10
COLD EMAIL TEMPLATES 15
JUSTIN BLACKMAN 10K HEADLINE’S BREAKDOWN 5
THE ANNOUNCEMENT
10
SALES EMAIL TEMPLATES 16
JASON BREWER’S SURE FIRE WEBSITE COPY TEMPLATES 5
COPYWRITING FOR ADS
THE JIM EDWARDS VSL METHOD
4
COMMON VIDEO SALES LETTER TEMPLATE
4
HEADLINE WRITING FORMULAS 4
THE SCARCITY + URGENCY FORMULA 10
10
THE WORDSTREAM AD COPY FORMULA
10
OTHER COPYWRITING FORMULAS AND SWIPE FILES 16
15
Preference
●
Action
Conviction from credible results turns doubt into trust. www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com This section is a compilation of many well known Testimonials // Endorsements // Statistics, Research // copywriting frameworks. I’ve done my best to give credit to Demo // Guarantees – Inspire convention. both the originator of the formula as well as the individual who may have originally compiled the content. If you find IDCA, the stage is yours now that you have their attention. that your method, template, or formula was referenced If you captured their attention and interest with an ad, your without proper credit please email [email protected] and landing page will perform better if it deals with desire and we’ll be sure to update! conviction, the action goes without saying. Important: To find the sources for a given section visit Here’s more variants on the formula to consider: http://sean.co/copyref ~ at the end of each section is a “Source Name” which you can use to identify the reference. Basic AIDA Model: Awareness→ Interest→ Desire→ Action OR you will find the direct source listed Lavidge et al's Hierarchy of Effects: Awareness→ Knowledge→ Liking→ Preference→ Conviction→ Purchase McGuire's model: Presentation → Attention → Comprehension → Yielding → Retention → Behavior.
General Copywriting Formulas
Modified AIDA Model: Awareness→ Interest→ Conviction →Desire→ Action (purchase or consumption)
There are many, many, MANY, different approaches to copywriting templates. Here are some of the most common used for general things like web pages, landing pages, really any type of page that’s designed to help influence the reader to take action.
AIDAS Model: Attention → Interest → Desire → Action → Satisfaction AISDALS Love model: Awareness→ Interest→ Search →Desire→ Action → Like/dislike → Share → Love/ Hate. These formulas are all very useful when you’re not sure where to go next in your writing.
AIDA This model has proven to be useful for over a century, advertisers understood in the 1800's how to infiltrate the human mind. Attention (Awareness) – What message would best pull our reader in and get them to consider our piece? Interest (Inspire) – Challenge the norms of the topic, explore counter-intuitive perspectives. Desire – Entice! Build the allure of your topic or product by appealing to the emotions of the reader; what’s the big win for them? Action – Don’t forget to ask them to do something.
Known in psychology as CAB: Cognition -> Affect -> Behavior, this is the secret sauce to jive with the tribe of your choice. Source Name: IDCA
Danny Iny’s 6+1 Formula Danny Iny of Firepole Marketing offers a spin on the AIDA model as highlighted on Smashing Magazine. 1. 2. 3.
An enticing headline or interesting webinar are good examples of where these techniques can be accomplished.
4.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AIDA_(marketing)
5.
AIDCA / IDCA & More There are many variants on AIDA, two of note are… AIDCA – Adds ‘Conviction’ the formula ● ● ● ●
Attention Interest Desire Conviction
6.
Consider the context Grab attention Move the reader swiftly to desire a solution to their problem Present the consequence of failing to act, which Iny calls “the gap” Present the solution, telling only as much as is necessary to get to the next step Call the prospect to act
(Summary: Joanna Wiebe) Source Name: danny
PAS – Dan Kennedy PAS was dubbed by Dan Kennedy as the most reliable sales formula ever invented.
7FigureMarketingGuide.com - Copy Reference Guide - General Copywriting Formulas - Page 1 Problem – Present the problem your prospect feels ● Advantages of solving the problem Agitation – Poke at that problem untilwww.getwsodo.com it’s visceral ● Proof that you can solve it www.getwsodo.com Solution – Present your solution to the agitated ● Action problem Source Name: AAPPA Another variation on PAS from Sean Mitchell: 1. 2. 3.
● ● ● ●
Problem Agitation Discredit – Discredit other solutions Solution
Source Name: PAS
4 Ps (2 variations) Henry Hoke Sr 4 P’s Picture – Create a vivid scene
QUEST When broken down by letter, QUEST is an acronym that will save everybody time and lessen miscommunication. ● ● ● ● ●
Qualify the prospect Understand where they’re at (show them this understanding) Educate them on a better way Stimulate them so they want that better way Transition them from where they are to your customer
Promise – State how your solution will end that painful scene or bring that aspirational scene to life for them
Source Name: QUEST
Prove – Support your promise!
SLAP
Push – Nudge the prospect to take action
SLAP is a handy layout for shorter pages or if you have something relatively inexpensive to sell.
● ● ● ●
Problem Promise Proof Proposal
Source Name: 4P
ACCA This formula will be quite useful for anyone, or any group, to rouse the hearts of a disconnected crowd. ● ● ● ●
Raise awareness Increase comprehension of the problem (teaching) Inspire conviction to do something about the problem Rally to action (Summary: Joanna Wiebe)
Source Name: ACCA
AAPPA (or PAPA) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Grab the prospect’s attention. Show them the advantage(s) of using your solution. Prove what you’ve just said. Persuade. Move them to action. (Summary: Joanna Wiebe)
PAPA: ●
Problem
● ● ● ●
Stop the prospect Make them look (i.e., read) Make them act Get the purchase
Let’s put aside the fact that, if you’re going for the sale, that is the action, so “act” and “purchase” don’t need to be separate. Source Name: SLAP
AIDPPC The legendary Robert Collier provides a useful sales sequence ideal for sales letters or, really, anywhere you are trying to sell. ● ● ● ● ● ●
Attention Interest Description Persuasion Proof Close
The first two parts of this copywriting formula are exactly like AIDA’s first two points. But desire is unpacked (helpfully!) into three core elements: 1.
2.
Descriptions, likely of the solution but also of the problem, the status quo, the challenges of not switching – anything that fleshes out the story Persuasive elements, like loss aversion, testimonials, future pacing
Unless Noted - To find the sources for a section visit http://sean.co/copyref
7FigureMarketingGuide.com - Copy Reference Guide - Copywriting formulas for long-form sales pages - Page 2 3.
Proof (e.g., demos, testimonials, endorsements) that 10. Create a great guarantee (i.e., don’t be ho-hum the solution can do what it claims to, www.getwsodo.com and can do it about this critical risk-reducer!). www.getwsodo.com 11. Write an attention-grabbing headline. like no other 12. Draw attention to key points using color. So if you’ve struggled with the “desire” part of AIDA, try 13. Limit the number of graphics. AIDPPC instead. 14. Hook the reader with a no-holds-barred opener Source Name: AIDPPC that starts delivering on the headline. 15. Eliminate early objections. 16. Create enticing crossheads throughout the piece. 5-Point Copywriting Formula 17. Make your prospect feel their pain deeply. Jack Lacey gets the credit for this simple formula that is 18. Eliminate their pain. ideal for lead-gen and landing pages. This could also be 19. Establish your credibility. used to guide a one page site. 20. Lock in that credibility with “an insider benefit.” 21. Provide unquestionable proof that your solution 1. What will you do for me if I listen to your story? delivers. 2. How are you going to do this? 22. Break your copy into readable chunks. 3. Who is responsible for the promises you make? 23. List the benefits of using your product. 4. Who have you done this for? 24. Summarize the key benefits. 5. What will it cost me? 25. List the features of your product. Source Name: 5PCF 26. Go above-and-beyond with the package you’re offering. 27. State the price. AICPBSAWN 28. Call to action. 1. Attention – Biggest benefit, biggest problem you can 29. Add a piggy-back offer to boost average order solve, USP value. 2. Interest – Reason why they should be interested in 30. Minimize risk. what you have to say 31. Close by summarizing the major benefits. 3. Credibility – Reason why they should believe you 32. Add a PS. 4. Proof – Prove what you are claiming is true 33. Make it easy to buy. 5. Benefits – List them all 34. Eliminate all distracting links. 6. Scarcity – Create scarcity 35. Let the copy rest. 7. Action – Tell them precisely what to do 36. Revise for maximum impact. 8. Warn – What will happen if they don’t take action Source: 9. Now – Motivate them to take action now http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:nNaNNTnagSEJ: Source Name: AICPBSAWN
Copywriting formulas for longform sales pages Bob Serling’s Power Copywriting Formula 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
Quality product Customer profile Credibility Offer Conduct exhaustive research. Rest to let your ideas percolate. Create a comprehensive list of features, facts and figures. List every benefit. Create an irresistible offer.
www.medical-webdesign.com.au/LiteratureRetrieve.aspx%3FID%3D29719+&cd=1&hl=en&ct= clnk&gl=us
Craig Clemens Sales Letter Formula: ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
Headline. Subhead. Questions that show you understand and push buttons. Powerful analogy or story. It’s not your fault and there’s hope. Give away content. Proof. What is it I’m offering? What’s in it? Bullets points/benefits Who needs it? Who doesn’t? What makes it different? Wrap up. Price. A guarantee.
Unless Noted - To find the sources for a section visit http://sean.co/copyref
7FigureMarketingGuide.com - Copy Reference Guide - Copywriting formulas for long-form sales pages - Page 3 5. Show the benefits 6. Give social proof www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com 7. Make your offer 8. Inject scarcity 9. Give a guarantee Source: https://mikedillard.com/episodes/how-to-write-a-sales10. Call to action message-that-moves-millions-with-craig-clemens/ 11. Give a warning 12. Close with a reminder ● ● ● ●
A close. A signature. Your P.S. Your testimonials
Star Story Solution 1. 2. 3.
Introduce the star of the story Tell the star’s story Present the solution that helped the star achieve big things
Source: https://www.revenueriver.co/thecuttingedge/copywritingformulas-to-create-better-copy
The Seven-Step Copywriting Formula Step 1: Start with your key benefit. Step 2: Explore & build that benefit. Step 3 Explain what your readers actually get; specifically. In-depth. Step 4: Provide proof to support step 3. (Testimonials/case studies/logic) Step 5: Detail the risks of not taking action. Step 6: Summation of benefits.
Source: http://www.marketingprofs.com/2/frey2.asp
Perry Belcher’s 21 Part Sales Letter Formula 1.
Call out to your audience (e.g., actually say whom it’s best for) 2. Get their attention, likely with a big promise headline 3. Backup the big promise headline with a quick explanation 4. Identify the core or most painful problem they’re experiencing 5. Provide the solution to said problem 6. Show pain of and cost of development of solution 7. Explain ease-of-use 8. Show speed to achieve results 9. Future pace (i.e., help the prospect visualize their vastly improved future) 10. Show your credentials
Step 7: Add CTA.
Find the last 11 steps on Perry’s website below…
Source: https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/bob-stones-gemcopywriting-formula
Source: http://perrybelcher.com/21-step-salesletter/
The Nine-Point Copywriting Formula 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
Grab attention with a headline. Follow with a lede that inspires. Clearly define the product. Give a success story or case study for the product. Add testimonials and endorsements. List special features or value-adds. State your value proposition. Move the prospect to action with specifics and urgency. Finish with a postscript.
Source: https://copyranger.com/21-incrediblecopywriting-formulas-i-use/
12-Step Foolproof Sales Letter Template 1. 2. 3. 4.
Get attention Identify the problem Provide the solution Present your credentials
HELLYEAH Holler and get their attention Empathize with their pains (usually by sharing yours) Lambast the things that led to the problem in the first place Legwork – prove you’re not full of it Yes, you have the solution for them Educate them on why your solution is best Action – give them a clear action to take Handle lingering doubts or objections Source: https://copyranger.com/21-incrediblecopywriting-formulas-i-use/
P.A.S.T.O.R 1. 2.
Person, problem, pain. Amplify the consequences of not solving the problem and eliminating the pain.
Unless Noted - To find the sources for a section visit http://sean.co/copyref
7FigureMarketingGuide.com - Copy Reference Guide - Copywriting Formulas For VSL’s - Page 4 Story, solution, system. {Product Name} is a {product category} that {different thing Testimonials. it does best} www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com Offer. (He adds to spend 80% of your offer talking They All {Did Unpleasant Thing} When {Unexpected Thing}, about transformation. Good tip.) But When {Ideal Result of Using Unexpected Thing}! 6. Response. Who Else Wants {Most Desirable Outcome or Benefit}? Source: https://rayedwards.com/031/ 3. 4. 5.
Copywriting Formulas For VSL’s The Jim Edwards VSL Method 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
Open with a shocking statement. State the problem and why it’s a big deal. Agitate the problem. Push the agitation even further, taking it to a deep emotional level. Introduce the solution. Highlight your credibility so people know why they should listen to you. Prove that what you’re saying is true. List out the biggest things they’ll get, including features and benefits. Specific reasons not to procrastinate but rather to act now. Close by asking for the purchase and reinforcing benefits.
Source: https://thejimedwardsmethod.com/the-great-video-sales-letterscript-formula/
Common Video Sales Letter Template 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
The “Attention Grabbing Greeting” Identify the problem and promise to solve it Establish scarcity Agitate the problem Provide your solution as THE solution Present the features and benefits of the solution Your first call to action, this one based in satisfying a desire 8. List off your credentials, including proof, results, examples, testimonials 9. Explain your guarantee 10. Your second call to action, this one appealing to their logic 11. Warn of FOMO with the looming deadline and scarcity 12. Your final call to action, this one based on FOMO Source: https://copyranger.com/21-incrediblecopywriting-formulas-i-use/
Headline Writing Formulas
The Only {SEO Keyword Phrase} Made Exclusively to {Most Desirable Outcome or Benefit} The only {product category} that doesn’t {objection or anxiety}. Now You Can {Do Something Desirable} {Counter to Expectations} Now You Can {Do Something Desirable} {Great Circumstance} We Promise You This: {Highly Desirable Result} Or {Consequence} Here’s the {Best Adjective} Way to {Solve a Problem} {Eliminate pain in an unexpected way} {Do desirable thing in an unexpected way}. {Notable person} shows you how to {do notable thing like they do} {Service name} is a {service category} that {amazing outcome for end users or decision-makers} without {objection or anxiety} You’re tired of {objection or anxiety}. But you {desired outcome}. So it’s time you met {Product name}. {Do something} like {world-class example} Are You Still Wasting Money on {blank} (Without Anything to Show for It?) Have a / Build a {Desirable Thing} You Can Be Proud Of Get the {Unusual Adjective} Power of {Product Category} Without {Pain} Get Rid of {Problem} Once and For All {Do Something Hard} in {Period of Time} 9 Out of 10 {Group Members} Can’t/Don’t ____________. Are You One of Them?
Make Your First {$} in Just {Time} How to Permanently Stop {Painful or Embarrassing Thing}, Even if You’ve Tried Everything! {Known Competitor} {Does This Undesirable or Unimpressive Thing}. {Your Brand Name} {Does This Highly Desirable or Impressive Thing}. Can your {current solution} pass the _______ Test?
Unless Noted - To find the sources for a section visit http://sean.co/copyref
7FigureMarketingGuide.com - Copy Reference Guide - Headline formulas for use on lead-gen pages, for marketing ebooks or for blog posts - Page 5 You are {comparative} than you think
www.getwsodo.com Jason Brewer’s Sure Fire Website Copy www.getwsodo.com
Let {your product} work on your {noun} for just {time period} Overcome the {Unexpected Culprit} That Keeps You {Unpleasant Thing}
Templates
Copy Template: Inspire First Inspire and connect
Is it worth {low price} to you to {get outstanding result}?
Cut to the chase
{One meaningful word.}
Who should care
{Objection.} But/And it works. Source(s): https://copyhackers.com/2012/09/headlineformulas-and-the-science-of-high-convertingcopywriting/
Copy Template: Big shift in the world
https://www.crazyegg.com/blog/proven-headlineformulas/
Winner and losers
https://www.copyblogger.com/10-sure-fire-headlineformulas-that-work/
Be the solution
https://unbounce.com/landing-pages/5-headline-formulas/
Justin Blackman 10k Headline’s Breakdown Basic headlines starter kit: For ___ who want to ___
Big shift in the world
Tease the promised land
Source: https://brolik.com/blog/conquer-website-copywriting-using-3templates/
Headline formulas for use on lead-gen pages, for marketing ebooks or for blog posts
Get ___ without the ___
1.
Helping ____ do ____
2.
The only ____ that doesn’t ____ Underused Emotions in Copywriting ● ● ● ● ● ●
Fear Frustration Powerlessness Anger Betrayal Revenge
Define Your Audience ● ● ● ● ●
Who would I be? What would I want? How would I feel? Which pains hurt most? What’s missing in my life?
Source: https://prettyflycopy.com/the-headline-project/
3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
10. 11. 12. 13.
The Ultimate Guide to {Good, Bad or Desirable Thing} What Everybody Ought to Know About {Good, Bad or Desirable Thing} X Lessons I Learned from {Person or Unusual Experience} To the {role} who will settle for nothing less than {world-class outcome} Break all the rules and {world-class outcome} How Your {Service Provider} Is Ripping You Off. And What to Do About It Right Now. I Found a {Adjective} Way to {Get Incredible Outcome} See why we have an {adverb} {adjective} {social problem} in just {short time}. {Influencer or celebrity} {emotional reaction} {to thing that basically the whole world already understood} Is this the world’s first {Good, Bad or Desirable Thing}? How to Survive Your First {Good, Bad or Desirable Thing} How I found out that {unexpected thing} is the best medicine Let me show you the secrets of {powerful group}
Unless Noted - To find the sources for a section visit http://sean.co/copyref
7FigureMarketingGuide.com - Copy Reference Guide - Headline formulas for use on lead-gen pages, for marketing ebooks or for blog posts - Page 6 14. What {Group or Celebrity} Can Teachwww.getwsodo.com You About 5. Get Rid of [problem] Once and For All www.getwsodo.com {Unexpected Thing} 6. Here’s a Quick Way to [solve a problem] 15. People Regularly Pay Me {$} for This Information. 7. Now You Can Have [something desirable] [great But You Can Have It FREE. circumstance] 16. {David-type addresses Goliath-type.} {Result.} 17. How to Make {$} With Your ________________, 8. [Do something] like [world-class example] Step-by-Step 9. Have a [or] Build a [blank] You Can Be Proud Of 18. The complete library of {large #} free and low-cost {desirable resources} 10. What Everybody Ought to Know About [blank] 19. Behind the Scenes of a _____________ Source: https://www.copyblogger.com/10-sure-fire-headline-formulas20. {Person does X.} {Another person’s reaction.} Result: that-work/ priceless. 21. Is {Trending Topic} a Scam? Find Out If You’re Jay Abraham Inspired Headline Formulas Putting Your {Resource} at Risk 22. Here Is a Method/System That’s Helping {Blank} to ✓ What's Your Best Chance to _____? {Blank} ✓ What [pros] wants you to know before you [thing you 23. Little Known Ways to {Blank} need to do] 24. The secret ways the {people from a foreign country} ✓ Most [industry professionals] do ______ but we're not {get desirable result} most [industry professionals]. 25. X Little Known Factors That Could Affect Your ✓ I'd like to give this to [industry professionals] ... before {Thing in Which Reader Has a Vested Interest} they [do something common] 26. Why haven’t {people like your readers} been told ✓ How to [thing customer wants to do] without [thing these facts? customer doesn't want to do] 27. The Secret of {Desirable Thing} ✓ If You've Already [done common thing], don't read this. 28. {#} of {group} are right/wrong/confused about {X} It'll break your heart 29. Is it immoral to {get desirable outcome}? ✓ Who else wants a _____ without the _____ 30. Recently Downsized/Fired {Profession} Reveals the ✓ Don't _____ until you read this guide! Dirty Little Secrets to {Outcome} ✓ What your [someone you trust] doesn't tell you when 31. Do you have the courage to {do something very you [thing you need to do] desirable}? ✓ What would become of your ____ if [positive or 32. This {bad thing} just happened. {Outcome or media} negative thing] happened? is {adjective}. ✓ What [pros] say about [your profession] 33. How to {get incredible result} and {do unexpected ✓ We Sell the Same [product] as (Company A), but thing as a result}. [at/with/without/for] [key differentiator]. 34. {Bully does X.} {Bullied reacts with Y.} ✓ Three Powerful Reasons Why ____ 35. I Stopped {Doing Common Thing} Today. You ✓ New [product/service] [does something better] than Should Too. Here’s Why. [what you're currently doing OR aspirational goal] 36. Who doesn’t like {somewhat accepted taboo}? ✓ Do you make these mistakes in _____? {Unexpected answer with tease about why.} ✓ [Negative outcomes] can be foreseen in Advance-And 37. I spent {time} {working toward goal}. I just {quitting Prevented. statement}. Here’s why. ✓ What not to_____ on a _____ 38. I don’t regret {X}. But here’s what I’d do differently. ✓ To the _____ Who Wants to _____ Someday 39. Would you {do unimaginable thing}? I just did. ✓ How to know when a _____ is about to [good or bad Source: https://www.crazyegg.com/blog/proven-headline-formulas/
Brian Clark’s 10 Sure-Fire Headlines 1. Who Else Wants [blank]? 2. The Secret of [blank] 3. Here is a Method That is Helping [blank] to [blank]
✓ ✓ ✓
thing] Who else wants a [better result]? An Easy Way to _____ Which [industry professional] used [Product A] and which has the [Product B]
Source: https://app.box.com/s/ar7wolonn6x8xd61c639czenlj70lowe
4. Little Known Ways to [blank] Unless Noted - To find the sources for a section visit http://sean.co/copyref
7FigureMarketingGuide.com - Copy Reference Guide - Headline formulas for use on lead-gen pages, for marketing ebooks or for blog posts - Page 7 ✓ How to [Desired Outcome] Without [Unpleasant www.getwsodo.com Headline formulas based on headlines by www.getwsodo.com Action] Laura Belgray ✓ [Provocative Question] ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
How To _____, Even if You’re Not _____ You're not still [doing common thing] with [common product] are you? Why _____ is the best way to _____ Where [thing consumer wants to happen] happens The [product/service] for [thing consumer wants to happen] For _____ who are tired of/don't want to _____ Helping _____ do _____ When _____ happens, you'll be ready to _____
Source: https://talkingshrimp.com/
Headline formulas with unknown origins (LOTS!) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
[Question/Problem] Here's How to Fix It Why [Action/Thing] Is/May Be [Opinion/Assertion] Warning: [Blank] How to [Do Something] Like a Boss How to [Do Something] in 5 Minutes How to [Blank] and [Blank] How to [Blank] Without [Objectionable Action] How to [Blank] How to Be [Desirable Quality] [Audience]! Are You [Undesirable/Desirable Outcome]? [Action] NOW! These/Find Out Which [Thing] Could/Will [Desired Outcome] How We [Desired Result] in [Timeframe] [Promise of What Your Business/Content Will Do] [Keyword]: [Supporting Keywords] Are You More Like [X] or [X]? Reminder: [Claim or Truth] Why [Problem] (And What to Do About It) [Claim That Goes Against What Most People Think is True] [4 Words or Fewer Summarizing Topic] What You Should Know About [Topic] [A Claim as if You Know the Future] [Controversial Claim or Story] No/Yes, You [Pre-Empt Objection] to [Achieve Desired Result] [An Odd or Funny Claim] Give Me [short time period] and I’ll Give You [desired result] Who Else Wants [desired result]? Why [Thing] [Outcome]
✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
[Social Proof] [Desired Outcome] Take X minutes to get started with [blank]... you'll be happy you did! How to [Achieve Desired Outcome] Like [Celebrity] Now You Can Have [something desirable] Without [something challenging] See How Easily You Can [desirable result] [A Quote From/Summary of a Testimonial] How You Can [desired result] Almost Instantly The Quickest & Easiest Way To [desired result] Never Suffer From [undesired result] Again How To [desired result] When You’re Not [blank] No [undesired result] Just [desired result] Everyday How To Get [desired result] Out Of [blank] If You Can [blank] You Can [desired result] Warning! Are You [Something Undesirable]? How [A Seemingly Inconsequential Action] Can [Undesirable Result] How to fast-track your [desirable result] [A Call to Arms] How To Take The Headache Out Of [blank] How To Become [desired result] When You [something challenging] [Outrageous/Controversial Claim] Answered: Your Most Burning Questions About [blank] X Questions Answered About [blank] How To Turn Your [blank] Into [desired result] How to [Achieve a Desired Outcome] (The) [Group/Famous Person] Guide to [Blank] The Ultimate Guide to [Blank] 10 Things [Group] Do Differently 7 Things We/You Should [Blank] 7 Things Only [Group] Understand 7 Things to Remember About/When/If [Blank] 15 Things You Didn't Know about [Person/Thing] 7 [Blank] That Will Change Your Life 7 Quotes from/by [Famous Person] That Will [Desired Result] 7 [Adjective] Facts [Person/Audience] Should Know 13 Ways to [Do Something] When [Situation] 7 Ways to [Do Something] Can You [Find/Spot/Answer/etc.] [Number] [Expert] Share [What] [Number] Little-Known Ways to [Desired Outcome] [Number] Steps to [Achieve Desired Outcome] [Number] Hacks to [Achieve Desired Outcome [Number or How to] Simple/Easy Ways to [Desired Outcome] Quiz: [Which/What/How] [Quiz Topic]?
Unless Noted - To find the sources for a section visit http://sean.co/copyref
7FigureMarketingGuide.com - Copy Reference Guide - Formulas for writing value propositions - Page 8 ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
A [Power Word] Tutorial to [Achieve Desired VAD: Verb, Application, Differentiator Outcome] www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com We do X, but the difference is {primary differentiator}. We Analyzed [Number] [Measurable] And This Is What We Learned The {adjective} way for _____ to _____, {benefit/outcome}. [Person] Did [Unusual Action] [Timeframe]. Here’s {Proven industry example} for/of {new domain}. What Happened [Number] Lessons I Learned When/From “We help X do Y doing Z”. [Experience] We’re the ones that {primary differentiator}. [Number] Secrets to [Achieve Desired Outcome] [Number] Mistakes Most People Make When/With {Superlative} {category} {qualifiers} [Common Action] Source: http://torgronsund.com/2011/11/29/7-proven-templates-for[Number] Proven [Actions/Ways] to [Achieve creating-value-propositions-that-work/ Desired Result] [Large Number] of Ways to [Achieve an Outcome] How [impressive number] Got [desired result] Without [undesired result] How To Make People Line Up And Beg To [blank] The Lazy [blank’s] Way to [desired result] The Ultimate Guide to [Achieve a Desired Outcome]
Fascination formulas (bullet lists) for copywriting BGNGo Bullets
7 Deadly Sins of Copywriting Formula ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
Lust (get what you desire / be what they desire) Slothfulness (this will help you be lazy / do less work) Envy (rise about your particular Joneses) Pride (be amazing) Wrath (be angry) Gluttony (get everything!) Greed (the ultimate me-focused bullet – it can all be yours!)
Sin #1: Lust - Appeal to: Desire Sin #2: Gluttony - Appeal to: Self-interest Sin #3: Greed - Appeal to: Possessiveness Sin #4: Sloth - Appeal to: Laziness Sin #5: Wrath - Appeal to: Anger and annoyance Sin #6: Envy - Appeal to: Jealousy Sin #7: Pride - Appeal to: Confidence
● ● ● ●
Source: https://copywritinginaction.com.au/from-bulletpoint-to-fascination/
The Headline-as-Bullet List ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
Get Full Detailed Write up for each step: https://unbounce.com/landing-page-copywriting/getemotional-in-your-marketing-copy/
● ●
Formulas for writing value propositions
●
For {target} who {statement of the need or opportunity}, {Name} is {product category} that {statement of benefit}.
●
Source: https://link.sean.co/valprop
Best Good Necessary Good, with Outcome
●
●
Discover the {high-value} secrets of {powerful group} What {group} taught me about {unexpected thing} How your X is ripping you off – and exactly what to do about it (page #) The #1 lesson I learned from {unusual experience} How to learn {technical thing} before {technical expert} How to survive your first __________ (page #) How a {role} showed me {unexpected insight} Why you need to break all the rules to get {worldclass outcome} Possibly the world’s first __________ Why some {role} are given favored status in {seemingly neutral place} – this little-known information could {incredible impact for reader} The unexpected X that may just be the best medicine for Y # steps to make $ with your __________ (page #, with a bonus on page #) A {adjective} method that’s helping __________ to __________ The secret ways {people from a foreign country} {get desirable result}
Unless Noted - To find the sources for a section visit http://sean.co/copyref
7FigureMarketingGuide.com - Copy Reference Guide - Copywriting Formulas to Entice Action - Page 9 Source: https://learnleadgeneration.com/lead-generation-
FAB Feature – State or intro the feature
ideas/ www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
Advantages – Describe its advantages
TEASE
Benefits – Describe its benefits
Is it tactful?
Source: https://buffer.com/resources/copywriting-formulas
Copywriting Formulas to Entice Action The I Want Button I want to ____________ I want you to ___________ Get a new car or Show me the newest cars “Get _________”
Does it emphasize a particular strength of the solution or product? What authentic part of the experience have you shared? Is it short and sweet? Does it engage the reader? Source: https://www.endorsewise.com/page/help/how-writetestimonials-testimonials-example/
The 4 Ss ● ● ● ●
Specific Short Sizzling Signed
Source: https://www.awai.com/2006/07/write-a-damn-good-testimonial/
RAD ● ● ●
Require Acquire Desire
Source: https://copyhackers.com/2012/06/radically-rethink-
your-ctas/
Hook, Line and Sinker
Walling’s 5-Day Drip Course Formula for Leads Day 0 Send on sign-up. Cover 3 points: welcome them, touch on what the drip course will cover, CTA (e.g., reply to email with answer to Q asked in email). Day 1 24 hours after D0. Educate and finish with an action. Day 2 24 hours after D1. Theory shared via story. CTA in PS.
Command verb + offer + urgency
Day 3 24 hours after D3. Batch of actionable tips.
Elements-of-the-Offer Formula
Day 4 24 hours after D4. Case study with real numbers. CTA to use your solution.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
Establish the Value Offer a (Conditional) Bonus Price Trivialize Price Guarantee Risk Reversal Scarcity
Source: https://medium.com/@jay_70791/hook-line-and-sinker-how-tofish-for-more-copywriting-clients-493e9f1d844d
The Before-After-Experience Testimonial Start with Before. What hesitations did they feel prepurchase? Then explain After. What did the client discover after going for it? Then speak to the Experience. What did they feel?
Source: https://growtheverywhere.com/marketing/rob-walling-drip/
Wishpond’s 5 Part Drip Campaign Email 1 A warm hello. Email 2 A transparent case study or finding. Email 3 Personal business story that shows your transparency and humanity. Email 4 Case study. Email 5 Free trial offer or soft sell.
Unless Noted - To find the sources for a section visit http://sean.co/copyref
7FigureMarketingGuide.com - Copy Reference Guide - Copywriting Formulas to Entice Action - Page 10 Source: https://blog.wishpond.com/post/110249650561/5-drip-emailtemplates-that-work
The How-To Formula
PASOP
grabbing thing}
Email 1: PASOP Problem. Agitation. Solution. Outcome (measurable or storied). New problem.
How {world-class example or average joe} {does amazing thing}
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com {Attention-grabber}: how to {avoid or get attention-
Email 2: PASOP Repeat the problem you ended E1 on. Agitation. Solution. Outcome. New problem.
Source: https://copyhackers.com/2015/10/copywritingformula
The Empty Suitcase
Email 3: PAS Repeat the problem you ended E2 on. Agitation. Your solution as the solution, with a link to the sales page to learn more about the solution and the outcomes it brings.
{Name}, this is for you
Source: https://expresswriters.com/pasop-formula/
I {past-tense verb} this. The world changed.
The 6-Email New Customer Nurturing Sequence Email 1 Welcome and intro to support person, with contact info provided. Email 2 Free offer. Email 3 Case study highlighting use of your product or service.
This is how you {do desirable or undesirable thing} I learned this from watching __________
What {industry} needs to {verb}
The Announcement Introducing {Name} Introducing {Name}: {short value prop} New! {Name} New! {Benefit of new thing without mention of name}
Email 4 Actual examples of ROI for your solution.
Now open: {registration}
Email 5 Customer testimonial video(s).
Source: https://www.campaignmonitor.com/blog/emailmarketing/2019/04/subject-line-formulas/
Email 6 FAQs. Source: https://bombbomb.com/blog/drip-email-nurture-prospectcustomer
The Scarcity + Urgency Formula Only {#} {days/hours/weeks} left to {X}
The Report Formula
Just {#} {X} left
New {agency/institute} approved {process/device} + {benefit}
Last chance to {action}
Innovative {system/process/product} + {benefit}
Get {valuable thing} if you {action} in the next {#} {days/hours/weeks}
Introducing {technique/system/process} + {benefit or mystery} Source:
http://emailsalesmachine.com/author/orangej568/
The Data Formula {Percentage} + {unexpected thing} {Known entity} is rated as {rating} for {rated thing} {Trendy thing} {percentage change} Source: https://copyhackers.com/2015/10/copywritingformula/#The_Data_Formula
Source: https://neurofied.com/scarcity-urgency-improves-sales/
Copywriting for Ads The Wordstream Ad Copy Formula Unforgettable and Affordable ________. Your Search for ____ Ends Here. Big Range, Great Price and Service. Get ___ For Only $__. Start Searching Now!
Unless Noted - To find the sources for a section visit http://sean.co/copyref
7FigureMarketingGuide.com - Copy Reference Guide - Facebook Ad Formulas - Page 11 Get Your Free Quote Online! Order Our Expert Guide Today!
Facebook Ad CTA Formulas
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com ✓ See why {influencer} said {intriguing thing}
Quick and Affordable Call Us Today!
✓
Headline = Attract Attention (Be Relevant!)
✓ ✓ ✓
Description Line 1 = Generate Interest (Be Useful!) Description Line 2 = Ask for the Click (Show the Value!)
MECLABS Online Ad Sequence MECLABS has created a copyrighted heuristic for your ads: ea = 2at + i + as © Where ea = Effectiveness of the Ad, at = Attract Attention, i = Generate Interest and as = Ask for the Click. Source: https://marketingexperiments.com/digitaladvertising/improve-conversion-online-ads
Facebook Ad Formulas Loud. Relevant. Engaging. ● ● ●
Be Loud. Be Relevant. Be Engaging.
Source: http://www.lorirtaylor.com/a-simple-formula-for-facebookads-that-deliver-real-returns/
ERERS ● ● ● ● ●
Emotional Rational Emotional Rational Social proof
Source: https://adespresso.com/blog/9-tips-perfectfacebook-ad-design/
✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
See why Stephen King said we’re the future of writing Free {high-value freebie} Free “Grammar Nerd” ebook Want / Need {highly desirable thing}? {Actionable solution} Need a new girlfriend? Get the Hot Tamale Handbook Enter to win {highly desirable or interesting thing} Enter to win your very own battle axe Sick of {thing readers are definitely sick of}? Sick of being compared to other moms? Stop {unpleasant or unexpected thing} Stop eyeing up the neighbor
Source: https://blog.wishpond.com/post/75805327199/7facebook-ad-call-to-action-cta-copy-formulas
Formulas for Writing Facebook Posts One little-known way to {do something}: {summary of how} Remember when {something nostalgia-triggering}? Fill in the blank: “{partial line of dialogue} ______________” Fill in the blank: “The only way to double your conversion rate is to ______________” {#} reasons I’m stopping {good or bad activity} If / When {scenario}, I __________ Source(s): https://buffer.com/library/anatomy-of-aperfect-facebook-post http://www.appssolut.com/blog/118/facebook-postformula-that-will-bring-you-more-clicks https://blog.wishpond.com/post/52314932186/8-sure-firefacebook-post-formulas-that-drive
The 4-Step Formula
Blog Post Formulas
Be Objective
Perfect Blog Post Formula: https://sean.co/ml-blogposts
Highlight Benefits
If you like that, you should also check out these blog post templates from HubSpot: https://offers.hubspot.com/blogpost-templates
Be Persuasive Follow the Rules Source: https://www.semrush.com/blog/a-4-step-formula-for-writingfantastic-facebook-ads/
Michael Hyatt’s 6-Part Blog Post ▪
Headline.
Unless Noted - To find the sources for a section visit http://sean.co/copyref
7FigureMarketingGuide.com - Copy Reference Guide - More Formulas and Templates - Page 12 ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪
Lead paragraph / hook. Relevant image. Personal story. Scannable body. Open-ended question.
Source: https://sean.co/mh-key
HIPASI This is PAS for blog posts: ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪
Headline Image Problem Agitation Solution Invitation
Source: https://samueljwoods.com/conversioncopywriting-sourcebook/
SCAMPER Substitute a ho-hum phrase with something surprising or new. Combine successful elements from 2+ other sources. Adapt a winning headline, button, offer or other from a different product category. Modify, minify or magnify one element. Put it to use with unexpected people. Eliminate or exclude an element that you think has seen better days. Rearrange, reverse or redefine any part of the copy, the funnel, etc. Source: https://link.sean.co/scamper
The “A FOREST” checklist Verify you’ve hit all the important points in your sales materials. ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
AICPBSA
www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com ● A – Attention – Biggest benefit, biggest problem you
Alliteration Facts Opinions Repetition Examples Statistics Three (as in the rule of)
Source: https://sean.co/buffer-forest
More Formulas and Templates
● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
can solve, USP I – Interest – Reason why they should be interested in what you have to say C – Credibility – Reason why they should believe you P – Prove – Prove what you are claiming is true B – Benefits – List them all (use bullets) S – Scarcity – Create scarcity A – Action – Tell them precisely what to do W – Warn – What will happen if they don’t take action N – Now – Motivate them to take action now
Gary Halbert’s newsletters: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
Say something that gets attention. Tell them why they should be interested. (Expand on CSI) Tell them why they should believe what you are saying is true. Prove it is true. Itemize and describe all benefits. Tell them how to order. Tell them to order now.
Source: https://link.sean.co/ghn-1
ABC Checklist 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
Attain Attention, Bang out Benefits, Create verbal pictures, Describe success incidents, Endorse with testimonials, Feature special details, Gild with values, Honor claims with guarantees, Inject action in reader, Jell with postscript.
Source: http://www.directcreative.com/blog/copywritingformulas
“Elements of an Offer” Classic Formula: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
Here’s What You’re Gonna Get Establish the Value Offer a (Conditional) Bonus Price Trivialize Price Guarantee Risk Reversal
Unless Noted - To find the sources for a section visit http://sean.co/copyref
7FigureMarketingGuide.com - Copy Reference Guide - Headline Generators - Page 13 8.
Scarcity
Source: https://sean.co/offer-elements
[industry] experts prove that you can have [results] and with this new [product] www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com ▪ Read the rest of the formulas in the source below…
41 Classic Copywriting Headline Templates Source: https://sean.co/harrisonamy-1 ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪
▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪
The secret of getting [results] A little mistake that cost a [target market] [cost] a year Advice to… [target market] who want [results] Do you suffer from [problem] at [occasion]? Who ever heard of [target market] having [results] without [objection] How I improved… [problem] without [objection] in just [time] Discover the [benefits] you get with [results] Proven: The most effective way to get [results] How a [something perceived as bad] resulted in [results] and [benefits] Do you suffer from [problem]? Do you have these symptoms of [problem] Guaranteed to [results] without [objection] How a new [product] solved my [problem] in just [time] Which type of [target market] are you? Is it stopping you get [results]? Does your [problem] ever embarrass you? To people who want [results] but don’t know where to start How much is [problem] really costing you? The right way to solve [problem] [thousands / hundreds / etc]of [target market] now have [results] will you join them? For the [target market individual, not plural] who has less [results] than he / she wants Suppose this happened to your [business / life / relationship etc]. Would you survive? Are other [target market] secretly overtaking you? [X] proven ways to get [results] and [benefits] Are you ready to have [results] in just [time]? Get your hands on this system that took one [target market] from [starting results] to [end results] in just [time] How I got [results] by making this unusual mistake. Why some [target market] always have / get [results] You can laugh about [problem] if you follow this simple plan Five common [problems] faced by [target market] which one do you want to solve? What [industry experts] do when faced with [problem]
▪
Source: http://harrisonamy.com/41-classic-copywriting-headlinetemplates/
Headline Generators 1.
2. 3.
4.
5. 6. 7.
Free headline generator: http://www.internetmarketingcourse.com/freehead linegenerator/ Free online title generator: http://titlegenerator.com/ Link bait title generator: http://www.contentrow.com/tools/link-bait-titlegenerator Market Positioning Statement Generator: http://info.ecornell.com/market-positioningstatement-generator Content Idea Generator: http://www.portent.com/tools/title-maker Blog topic idea generator: http://www.hubspot.com/blog-topic-generator Sales letter generator: http://www.internetmarketingcourse.com/freesales generator/
Sources... For a more detailed organized list of resources and sources used please visit: https://sean.co/all-sources
Even More Resources RESOURCES: Headline Copywriting Templates List compiled by OptinMoster Visit: https://sean.co/hct-a For More Details On Their Lead Capture Systems Copywriting Headlines That Sell – Neville Medhora’s Kopywriting Kourse. Link: https://sean.co/hct-1 9 Proven Headline Formulas That Sell Like Crazy CopyBlogger Link: https://sean.co/hct-2 10 Sure-Fire Headline Formulas That Work – Copyblogger is a known authority on writing headlines. Link: https://sean.co/hct-3
Unless Noted - To find the sources for a section visit http://sean.co/copyref
7FigureMarketingGuide.com - Copy Reference Guide - Even More Resources - Page 14 5 Headline Templates to Make More Sales Today – Ray disappear, perhaps forever. Edwards Link: https://sean.co/emct-20 www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com Link: https://sean.co/hct-4 Digital Marketer’s Best Email Body Copy – the subject line, 102 Headline Formulas – Chris Garrett body copy (word for word) and my analysis of the strengths of Digital Marketer’s top 22 emails over the last 12 months. Link: https://sean.co/hct-5 Link: https://sean.co/emct-21 Steve Fabian’s copywriting swipe file – 51 copywriting formulas. What to Write in Your Emails – 45+ email content Link: https://sean.co/hct-6 templates and the complete course to writing great emails from Aweber 58+ Headline Formulas – Blog Marketing Academy Link: https://sean.co/emct-22 Link: https://sean.co/hct-7 3 Tested Email Marketing Templates You Can Use Right Smart Blogger’s 52 Headline Hacks – Now – Just fill in the blanks in the following three “plug ‘n Link: https://sean.co/hct-8 play” email templates with your own information 7 Proven Headline Formulas That Convert (And why they Link: https://sean.co/emct-23 work) – Russ Henneberry Michele Pariza Wacek’s Copywriting Email Templates Link: https://sean.co/hct-9 They’re designed to get straight to the point, using copy 7 More Sure-Fire Headline Templates That Work – that promotes action. Fill in your information, personalize Copyblogger the copy, and click “send” – Link: https://sean.co/emct-24 Link: https://sean.co/hct-10 Super Office’s Email Swipe File – Spay and pray marketing Writing Home Page Headlines For The Modern World (3 doesn’t work. And this is exactly why more companies are Formulas That Work) – Peep Lajand investing in account-based marketing. Link: Link: https://sean.co/hct-11 https://sean.co/emct-26 A Collection of the Most Powerful Million Dollar Headlines – Jason Hart Link: https://sean.co/hct-12 Peter Sandeen’s 101 Headline Formulas Link: https://sean.co/hct-13 14. 41 Classic Copywriting Headline Templates - Link: https://sean.co/hct-14
RESOURCE: Subject Line Templates 164 Best Email Subject Lines to Boost Your Email Open Rates – Link: https://sean.co/esl-15 DigitalMarketer’s 101 Best Email Subject Lines of 2016 Link: https://sean.co/esl-16 29 Sales Email Subject Lines That Get Prospects to Open, Read, and Respond – Link: https://sean.co/esl-17 Copy-And-Paste Email Subject Lines For Churches – Link: https://sean.co/esl-18 GrowthLab’s Email Copywriting Guide – Link: https://sean.co/esl-19
RESOURCES: Email Marketing Copy Templates 4 Bombproof Formulas for Openings That Grab Readers & Don’t Let Go – Smart Blogger - If you don’t hook your reader within the first eight seconds, they’ll click a link and
RESOURCE: Call to Action Copywriting Templates 14 Real-Life Examples of CTA Copy YOU Should Copy – Hubspot explains exactly why these examples work and which features you should emulate. Link: https://sean.co/cta-27 21 Call to Action Examples – Kathryn Aragon of Crazy Egg tells us what works, and what doesn’t, with calls to action. She provides some rules for writing them, along with call to action examples. Link: https://sean.co/cta-28 Hubspot’s Calls to Action Templates – There are dozens of templates here, covering everything from email marketing to eCommerce. Click on the ones that interest you, then opt in to get them. Link: https://sean.co/cta-29 How To Write A Call To Action In A Template With 6 Examples – CoSchedule highlights the science of writing effective calls to action, and gives examples you can copy in your marketing. Link: https://sean.co/cta-30
RESOURCE: Product Description Copywriting Templates (eCom) 18 Ingredients of High Converting Product Pages - If you want to have high converting product pages, start with these ingredients Link: https://sean.co/pdc-a
Unless Noted - To find the sources for a section visit http://sean.co/copyref
7FigureMarketingGuide.com - Copy Reference Guide - Even More Resources - Page 15 How To Write Product Descriptions To Grow Sales – This How to Write An Effective Welcome Email – Email is the resource by BigCommerce includes a simple copywriting backbone of customer retention, and a highly effective www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com formula for effective product descriptions, and gives channel for connecting with your customers even after examples of how to build on that to make your descriptions they’ve left your website. work even better. Link: https://sean.co/wet-40 Link: https://sean.co/pdc-31 The Perfect Welcome Email Template – Welcome Emails A Copywriter’s Template for Excellent Product Page are 4 times more likely to be opened and nearly 7 times Descriptions – Econsultancy’s copywriting template for more likely to get a click than other promotional mailings. product descriptions is a little different, functioning more Link: https://sean.co/wet-41 like a recipe or step-by-step guide. 6 Welcome Email Templates that Do More than Welcome Link: https://sean.co/pdc-32 - Welcome emails are a lot like first dates (minus the Product Descriptions that Sell: Template & Sample – awkward in-person meeting). They’re both the first real Made Urban provides fill in the blank product description personal interaction you have with someone you’ve heard examples, and walks you through the process of creating or read about for a while. one. Link: https://sean.co/wet-42 Link: https://sean.co/pdc-33 Optimize Your Welcome Emails With These 5 Templates Marketing Labs Product Description Templates - You’ll Welcomes arise in many situations. People meet businesses have to opt in to get this free product description template. in many different ways — which calls for more than one This copywriting template includes guidance on SEO and type of email greeting. Link: https://sean.co/wet-43 how to focus your description. Link: https://sean.co/pdc-34
RESOURCES: Cold Email Templates
RESOURCES: Copywriting for Social Media 30+ Ultimate Headline Formulas for Tweets, Posts, Articles, and Emails - A headline can serve either as an apple pie on the windowsill of your content or as its bouncer. It’s all in the way you phrase things. Link: https://sean.co/sm-35 The Best Social Media Copywriting Guide to Be a Social Word Ninja – In order to cut through the static, you need to wield your words wisely. That means writing posts that stand out from the clutter and speak directly to what your audience wants. Link: https://sean.co/sm-36 71 Ways to Write a Social Media Update - There are a litany of ways to compose, style, and organize a social media update,even in just the words we use in our updates. Link: https://sean.co/sm-37
Welcome Email Templates How to Write the Perfect Welcome Email for New Subscribers - Your welcome email for new subscribers is the first impression they’ll get after joining your email list through a lead magnet or sign up form. Link: https://sean.co/wet-38 Email Template for Welcoming New Subscribers -The welcome email has a very high open rate, sometimes up to 90%. Link: https://sean.co/wet-39
The Best Cold Email Template To Crush Replies – A cold email template makes everything less awkward. Because we all know that “just saw someone in the grocery store” feeling. Link: https://sean.co/cet-44 5 Cold Email Templates That Turn Your Contacts Warm As Toast – Cold emailing can be a tricky game to play, especially when you’re using the wrong format to close that big sales deal. Link: https://sean.co/cet-45 5 Cold Email Templates – There are 3.8 billion email users in the world. Pretty much any person that you want to get in touch with, you can do so via cold email. Link: https://sean.co/cet-46 5 Steps to Write a Cold Email That Converts New Clients there’s both an art and science to learning how to write a cold email template that predictably converts new freelance clients. Link: https://sean.co/cet-47 Cold Email Template Issues - Predictable Revenue was a book written 6 years ago, about stuff they were actually doing 10 years ago. It doesn’t work anymore. Are you still using these stale tactics? Link: https://sean.co/cet-48 “Magic” Email Template - John Corcoran has a 72-word magic email template, available after you opt in. Link: https://sean.co/cet-49
Unless Noted - To find the sources for a section visit http://sean.co/copyref
7FigureMarketingGuide.com - Copy Reference Guide - Even More Resources - Page 16 4 B2B Sales Principles Applied To Cold Email Templates 8% or higher click rates, and 30% or higher response rates. There are simple principles that you can apply to everyday Link: https://sean.co/set-59 www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com life (and sales alike) to make more meaningful connections. Five Sales Email Templates to Get You Started - Even if That’s being Respectful, Cheerful, Transparent and Helpful. you have your own unique style for capturing attention, Link: https://sean.co/cet-50 there are some key points to keep in mind if you want your 26 Cold Email Examples Broken Down To Help You Write email to have the best chance of success. Your Own – Dmitry Dragilev shares the impressive results Link: https://sean.co/set-60. he’s achieved with cold emails. 101 Sales Email Templates You Can Use to Close More Link: https://sean.co/cet-51 Deals - Your biggest success will come when you study 5 Cold Email Templates Sumo.com Used to Grow to $5 these examples, make them relevant to your business and Million – If you have any mutual connections or have been turn them into your own. introduced to this prospect by a mutual connect, this Link: https://sean.co/set-61 subject line almost guarantees an open. Link: https://sean.co/cet-52
RESOURCES: Sales Email Templates 28 Sales Prospecting Email Templates Guaranteed to Start a Relationship – The majority of sales development reps (SDR) and inside sales people seem to believe that spam is the most efficient prospecting method available to them. Link: https://sean.co/set-53 The Ultimate Guide to Sales Email – Yesware’s sales email templates are collected inside an ebook. You’ll need to opt in to download the tips on subject lines and body copy, based on data from more than half a million emails. Link: https://sean.co/set-54 12 CRM-Ready Sales Email Templates – The world has evolved around us. Gone are the days of sighing “spam, spam, spam” as we sift through our daily mail … and arrived are the days where we hit “delete, delete, delete” as we rummage through our inboxes. Link: https://sean.co/set-55 4 Sales Email Templates That Drive Conversions – A good sales email must strike the right tone, convey the essential information and take into account which phase of the sale the prospect is at. Link: https://sean.co/set-56 9 Sales Email Templates to Inspire Urgency in Your Prospects – Most salespeople face the same persistent challenge: Their prospects lack urgency. There are a number of strategies -- both successful and unsuccessful -reps use to overcome this inertia. Link: https://sean.co/set-57 12 Free Sales Email Templates Proven to Increase Response Rates – New forms of reaching out to potential customers, such as social networks or content marketing, have sprung up lately. Link: https://sean.co/set-58 10 Sales Email Templates With 60% or Higher Open Rates – The following 10 templates have 60% or higher open rates,
RESOURCES: Other Copywriting Formulas and Swipe Files Swiped.co Swipe File Archive - The place for copywriters & marketing minds to dissect & discuss great marketing examples. Link: https://sean.co/ocf-62 Ray Edwards’ Copywriting Cheatsheets - 6 copywriting infographics and other guides on offer when you opt in. Link: https://sean.co/ocf-63 The Ultimate Guide to No-Pain Copywriting – Copyhackers has a huge copywriting guide that includes copywriting formulas and templates. Link: https://sean.co/ocf-64 The Copywriting Checklist – I built my business without venture capital or partners, and I was able to do it because of copywriting. This is the skill that I’d like to share with you now. Link: https://sean.co/ocf-65 ACCA Fundraising Copywriting Formula - I’m sorry to betray my fellow copywriters like this, but let’s be fair guys, this is our worst-kept secret… Link: https://sean.co/ocf-66 Irresistible Invitation Emails for Webinars and Events - It seemed like a great idea, plan an event, promote it, have lots of people turn up, deliver some great content and kick start many new beautiful relationships. Link: https://sean.co/ocf-67 Conquer Website Copywriting Using These 3 Templates – It doesn’t happen often, but most people can think of a website they have visited that made them feel a sense of inspiration and intrigue while scrolling down the page. Link: https://sean.co/ocf-68 SwipeFile.io – Personal copywriting swipe file, including examples for headlines, print ads, about pages, pricing pages, direct mail, and more. Link: https://sean.co/ocf-69
Unless Noted - To find the sources for a section visit http://sean.co/copyref
words that influence… www.getwsodo.com www.getwsodo.com
RESISTANCE WORDS - Words to use when looking to overcome internal objections.
Instantaneously // Immediately // Find Yourself // Suddenly // Picture // Suppose // Realize // Mysterious // Imagine // Remember // Wonder Allow // Curious // Pretend // Understand // Awaken // Convince // Yourself // Ponder // Enchant INFLUENTIAL WORDS - Words to use when looking to project status.
Discover // Excel // Money // Easy // Guaranteed // Wealth // Proven // Results // Safe // Save // Improved // Own // Unique // No Risk // Love // Best // New // Value // Fast // Famous POWER WORDS - Words that generate a punch.
free // professional // tested // limited // valuable // unlimited // under priced // launching // better // spotlight // largest // unlock // introducing // wanted // interesting // highest // the truth about // affordable // attractive // competitive // innovative // sure fire // crammed // astonishing // urgent // excellent // surging // bargain // pioneering // genuine // complete // quality // lavishly // breakthrough // unconditional // security // revolutionary // magic // weird // confidential // unusual // instructive // edge // fascinating // bottom line // tremendous// monumental // last minute // simple // Insider SUBCONSCIOUS PHRASES - Phrases that get in your readers mind
Just Pretend // The More You // Every time You // What It’s Like When // Suppose // Remember // What Would It be Like If // Find Yourself // Realize // Sooner or Later 324
